Four-year-old child injured after men brawl at lockdown party spot Richmond Falls on the River Swale

A four-year-old child has been injured after being caught in the crossfire between a group of brawling men at Richmond Falls.
Richmond FallsRichmond Falls
Richmond Falls

The child's foot was cut when a glass bottle was kicked at them during the altercation at the beauty spot on the River Swale at 5.10pm on Saturday.

Richmond Falls became a notorious 'lockdown party spot' during 2020, when groups of youths from across the north-east descended on the waterfalls and there were issues with drug dealing, littering, fighting and drunken behaviour. A Public Spaces Protection Order has seen been imposed on the area, giving police additional powers to move on problem groups and banning the use of alcohol and portable barbecues.

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North Yorkshire Police have released a description of the man suspected of kicking the bottle. He is white, in his early 20s, with short brown hair and an accent from the Stockton-on-Tees area. He was wearing black shorts and a gold chain, and was topless.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC Joanna Outram. You can also email [email protected], quoting reference number 12210162040.

Richmondshire Council's corporate board heard claims that 'alarming' incidents at the Falls last summer had been triggered by a combination of lockdown measures being lifted, pubs remaining closed and mass parties being arranged on social media involving revellers from South Yorkshire, Sunderland and Newcastle.

Councillors heard how residents had been left traumatised and teams of volunteers had collected hundreds of bags of rubbish, including large numbers of nitrous oxide cannisters, that were dumped during the parties.