A pregnant woman was among those who took cover in a shop as teenagers stormed a south London high street as part of an Easter holiday “link up”.
Footage circulating on social media appears to show large crowds of young people, many wearing masks, gathering on Clapham High Street on Tuesday evening, as several supermarkets closed their doors.
Police were seen in the area and appeared to be carrying out several arrests.
In one TikTok video, smoke was seen billowing from Clapham Common while a number of police officers attended the scene.
A caption on the video read: “Do NOT attend Clapham Courts linkups.”
Another clip showed teenagers gathering outside the high street’s McDonald's branch before sprinting away once a police car pulled up.
Schools broke up for the Easter holidays last Friday and disruption was first reported in Clapham on Saturday - the Metropolitan Police issued a dispersal order after more than 100 teenagers gathered in a supermarket, with reports of shoplifting.
Elaine Canning, store manager of Tapi Carpets and Floors on Clapham High Street, said a pregnant woman was among those to shelter inside her store while the disruption took place on Tuesday.
Ms Canning told The Independent on Wednesday: “On Saturday there were some people that came and stood in the shop, just people walking by that came in for cover.
“Last night as well there was a pregnant lady and her husband, they came in for about 10 to 15 minutes.”
She added: “She would be [panicked], being pregnant, you would be worried about being knocked over.
“But I don't think they were physically threatening towards members of the public, to be fair.”
The store manager described the scenes which unfolded as “scary” but said that those who gathered were mainly targeting food stores.
Ms Canning said she had been told by other people who work on the road to be vigilant on Tuesday afternoon, as they had heard of another planned gathering, which appeared to have been advertised on social media.
“It's really not nice because you don't know whether they're going to come in here and trash the place or whether they're just going to keep going past”, she added.
“But they weren’t targeting members of the public or anything. They are just bored kids.”
Charles Duamroh, who works at Tapi Carpets and Floors, told The Independent that he is worried that such scenes may continue throughout the week as the Easter school holidays go on.
“They've had it Saturday and they've had it yesterday. You know, what is the next one going to be like? And who is going to stop it now?”, he said.
On Wednesday morning, a police van was briefly parked on Clapham High Street, near to M&S Food. Small numbers of police officers walked up and down the road, but no shops appeared to have heightened their security.
Describing what he had witnessed in recent days, Mr Duamroh said: “On Saturday the police were literally screaming to keep moving.
“Yesterday was more that everybody was running. The guys were running and the girls were running, and the police were also running. You couldn't tell who was chasing who.”
Ali, who works at Bargain Store and did not wish to give his surname, said he had seen a large group of teenagers around Sainsbury’s on Clapham High Street.
“They entered Sainsbury’s and took goods and threw them at each other. What’s the purpose of this? I don’t know.”
Paula Teixeira, co-owner of the Clapham High Street branch of photography shop Snappy Snaps, told The Independent, she had seen “hundreds of kids” gathered in Clapham Common on Saturday, as well as two police vans in the area.
“They were gathering outside McDonald's. I'm not quite sure what was going on, but every now and then they kept running down here, a bunch of them to Prescott Place, laughing and kind of leading each other on to mischief basically.”
Asked what could deter this from continuing, Ms Teixeira said: “I don't think they got too scared of the police, to be honest.
“They kind of come in big groups, and then when police start talking to them, a few might disperse for a little while, but then after the police are gone then they return.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, the Metropolitan Police said: “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."
On Wednesday, detective chief superintendent Emma Bond, who leads policing in the area, said: “We have a clear plan in place should any further disorder take place in the coming days and are in close contact with our partners and businesses in the area.
“Our officers will continue to maintain a strong, visible presence around Clapham and we will respond robustly to any reports of disorder, thefts or planned meet-ups.
“I’d urge those young people who think this is just a bit of fun to carefully consider the consequences. Events like this, fuelled by online trends and viral content on platforms such as TikTok, can quickly escalate and lead to serious outcomes.
“If you join in or cause further disorder, you should expect to be arrested and risk a criminal record, which can have long-lasting consequences for your future, including employment opportunities and potentially your ability to travel.
