Large crowds of young people have caused mayhem on a London high street again, just days after dozens of teenagers stormed shops and clashed with police.
Two 16-year-old girls and one 15-year-old girl were arrested for shoplifting and assault after chaos erupted on Clapham High Street on Saturday.
Footage shows screaming teenagers pushing each other and knocking food off shelves at a Marks and Spencer store, as others filmed the scenes on their phones.
Further trouble broke out on Tuesday with reports of shops being forced to close and families barricaded inside a supermarket, as groups of young people “terrorised” the neighbourhood again.
An M&S security guard told the Daily Mail he had to lock shoppers in for a short while, before gradually allowing them to be escorted out by officers.
Mohammed said: “Police warned us there would be chaos so we prepared for it because of what happened last Saturday.
“There were loads of kids sprinting and shouting and police advised all the shops to close for one hour.”
He added the supermarket decided instead to just close for the day and not reopen, but some shoppers remained inside.
Madmass in Clapham today pic.twitter.com/vS6arHlOuY
— London & UK Street News (@CrimeLdn) March 31, 2026
“Police knew roughly the time today,” he said. “They said it would start at around 4pm so they were here since midday. But the chaos happened at 7pm.
“We had to lock shoppers in, at 8.15pm we let them out one by one with police and and security holding the doors shut and escorting them out.
“Shoppers were very scared. There was one lady with a pram and a baby. She was terrified but police escorted her to safety.”
The mob targeted nearby a nearby branch of Boots “very badly” and a local Waitrose stuck a “police advised” closure notice onto its front door.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said on Tuesday evening: “Police are responding to an ongoing incident on Clapham High Street following reports of a large crowd of young people causing anti-social behaviour.
“Officers are on the scene, and a dispersal order has been put in place, meaning anyone congregating must leave the area.
“At this time two teenage girls have been arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. They have been taken to custody.
“Officers will remain in the area to offer support and respond to any concerns from local residents and businesses.”
It was claimed several supermarkets were forced to close their doors as young people rampaged through the area again.
Footage shared online showed large groups of young people gathering outside a McDonald’s restaurant with police on the scene.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by anyone in the footage below.
And elsewhere families were reported “barricaded” inside a local Sainsbury’s, according to the Mail.
There were also reports of some people attempting to start fires on Clapham Common.
-Copy-01-00_00_03_10-Still010.png)
It comes after the Met were called to the same high street on Saturday just before 5pm.
Two police officers could be seen attempting to calm the situation by forcing teenagers apart and ordering those involved to leave the premises.
It is understood the arrests were made at a different store on the high street, not Marks and Spencer.
The three girls arrested have since been bailed.
A Met spokesman added: “Tackling shoplifting and anti-social behaviour continues to be a priority for the Met, and we’re doing more to take action against offenders and support local businesses.
“This proactive approach saw a 44 per cent increase in arrests last year, while shoplifting across London fell by four per cent.
“At around 6.45pm on Saturday, March 28, police responded to reports of a group of around 100 young people causing anti-social behaviour and stealing from a number of businesses on Clapham High Street.
“Officers imposed a dispersal order and made three arrests.
-Copy-01-00_00_16_00-Still011.png)
“Three girls, two aged 16 and one 15-year-old girl, were arrested for shoplifting and assault.
“They have since been bailed.”
The incidents are the latest in a string of similar incidents in recent months involving large groups of teenagers rampaging through shopping centres and high streets.
On the same day, groups of teenagers were seen swarming Birmingham city centre, shouting and screaming as shoppers watched on in horror.
In February, crowds of teenage boys gathered in Soho Square after a pop-up event by Zoned drew large numbers to central London.
Some climbed on benches and statues as police attempted to manage the crowd.
Last December, disorder also broke out at the launch of Timothée Chalamet’s “Marty Supreme” pop-up store, where groups of men were seen pushing down crowd-control barriers in a rush for limited-edition items.
Footage shared online showed people pressing against railings, overwhelming security staff. The barriers eventually collapsed as guards struggled to regain control.
