Shopping madness! After Black Friday sales mayhem, police fear MORE anarchy over the weekend - as retailers attacked over failing to protect shoppers
- Police have appealed for calm after bargain hunters 'acted like animals'
- Men and women of all ages fought over computers and games consoles
- Police and paramedics were called to mayhem at Tesco and Asda stores
- Fears disorder will continue over weekend as retailers roll out more offers
- A chief police constable said appalling scenes were 'totally predictable'
Police chiefs appealed for calm today after sales-crazed shoppers sparked a wave of Black Friday disorder and violence.
Bargain hunters were accused of behaving like animals as they grappled over computers, coffee machines, hair-dryers and games consoles.
In extraordinary scenes, men and women of all ages fought to secure deals in the sales frenzy imported from the US.
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Tug of war: A woman fights desperately to cling on to a widescreen TV in London as other shoppers try to wrestle it from her. A staff member from Asda can be seen intervening
Tugs of war broke out over TVs and shoppers resorted to lying on top of goods to stop them being snatched by rivals.
Police and paramedics were called in to deal with mayhem and injuries at Tesco and Asda stores. At least three arrests were made.
There were fears the disorder will continue today and into Monday as retailers roll out more offers.
Sir Peter Fahy added: ‘I’m disappointed stores did not have sufficient security staff on duty. This created situations where we had to deal with crushing, disorder and disputes between customers.
‘It does not help that this was in the early hours when police resources are already stretched.
'Across Greater Manchester large supermarkets already make significant demands on policing through calls to shoplifting, anti-social behaviour and thefts of fuel from their petrol stations – much of which is preventable.
Scrum down: Customers push each other out of the way as the crowd surges towards widescreen televisions at the Asda store in Wembley
Tensions: A bitter argument erupts among Wembley shoppers as shoppers are accused of behaving like animals during the Black Friday discounts
To me, to you: People struggle to carry their purchases as they make their way to the checkouts in Newcastle
'We just ask these stores to work with us to reduce the demands on policing and reduce the risks of disorder and crime.’
A post on the Manchester force’s Twitter feed read: ‘Keep calm, people!’ Its officers made two arrests for public order offences and another for an alleged assault.
The force said it would not be deploying extra officers to stores. Record numbers of shoppers are expected on high streets today and Visa predicts online sales will top £518million – the highest daily figure ever.
Retailers, especially supermarkets, fuelled the Black Friday frenzy with reductions of up to 70 per cent – attracting huge crowds when they opened their doors just after midnight.
The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Sir Peter Fahy (pictured), said the appalling scenes yesterday were ‘totally predictable’
Race is on: Customers rush towards cut-price electricals in Leeds where television prices had been cut down
But stock was limited, which meant items quickly sold out and tempers snapped.
Paul Marshall, a sergeant in the Metropolitan Police, wrote on Twitter: ‘Even on Black Friday shoving people to the floor so you can get £20 off a coffee maker is still an assault.’
Police were called to at least 14 stores across Greater Manchester, London, Wales and Scotland. The angry scenes were repeated in many other parts of the country and some stores were forced to shut.
Tesco refused to say how many of its stores had to call for help, but it defended its handling of the crowds. A spokesman said: ‘All stores were individually assessed prior to Black Friday. We had colleagues on hand, but in a small number of stores the demand exceeded expectations and we asked police for help to manage the safety of the crowds. We are very grateful to the police for their support.’
Asda said that it had to call police to a single store, in Clapham, south London.
The leader of the shopworkers’ union, USDAW, pleaded with consumers to spare a thought for those behind the tills. John Hannett said: ‘Retail staff are keen to give great customer service and are trained to provide a good shopping experience, but that can be difficult if people are angry and aggressive.’
Customers who tried to avoid the queues by shopping online had their own problems. Traffic to some chains – such as Tesco Direct, Argos and Currys – was so heavy that their websites froze.
The girls who cheered things up: US-
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