A 16th birthday party in London descended into chaos after hundreds of uninvited teenagers crashed the event, leading to clashes with police and multiple arrests. The party, held at a community centre on the Avondale Square estate off Old Kent Road, was intended for 100 guests but swelled to around 500 after details were shared online.
Party details shared online spark 'utter carnage'
The mother of the birthday girl had booked the venue at Twelve Acres House, expecting 100 friends and family. However, witnesses reported that up to 400 extra teenagers arrived directly from school on Monday afternoon, many consuming alcohol on buses before reaching the estate. Neighbours said many carried knives, which they hid when police arrived around 5pm. Footage on social media shows a mob being dispersed by outnumbered officers.
Residents describe terrifying scenes
A mother of two autistic children, aged five and 13, told Metro: 'It was terrifying. A knife was lobbed over my wall – what if it had hit one of my kids? Loads of them had blades which they were hiding in bushes or throwing away when the police arrived. They had come to the party after seeing a “link up” message online with details of the party. There must have been 500 all together. A lot of them came on buses and were drinking Buzz Ball cocktails. When they arrived they were everywhere doing nitrous oxide with balloons. It was out of control, like a war zone.' She said police took hours to clear the teenagers, who refused to budge.
Another witness said: 'It was horrendous – there were boys and girls, they got off buses after school. Some were still in school uniform. They seemed high or drunk and the racket they were making was terrible. We were scared to do anything as we know kids that age sometimes carry knives. There were so many of them it would have been impossible to intervene. This has never happened at the community centre before. It’s a really nice estate.'
Estate staff and residents express concern
A staff member at the estate office said the mother had booked the venue with a 100-person maximum capacity. 'Then this chaos happened. We are very sorry and are going to review if the community centre should be used for parties in the future.' Estate workers cleared debris this morning, including discarded nitrous oxide balloons and alcohol bottles. Extensive CCTV on the estate will aid the police investigation. A pensioner said: 'This is a lovely estate – these trouble makers were from elsewhere. It was very intimidating. There were hundreds of them.'
Arrests and police response
Four teenagers aged 15 to 17 were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder. Three people – two men aged 18 and 20, and a 16-year-old girl – were charged with assaulting an emergency worker. A 17-year-old boy was charged with anti-social behaviour, and a 16-year-old girl with obstructing a police officer. A Met police spokesperson said: 'We are aware of the impact that incidents like this can have on the local community. Officers have remained in the area today to offer reassurance to local residents and deter further offending. On Monday, 22 June at around 18:00hrs police were called to reports of a large gathering on Avondale Square. Officers attended and a dispersal order was promptly put in place. Ten arrests were made. A 16-year-old boy was assaulted and, after being arrested, was taken to hospital from custody for treatment to a head injury. His injuries have since been confirmed as neither life-threatening nor life-changing.'
