Southend brawl leaves two teens with facial knife wounds

A large brawl involving around 30 young people erupted on Southend High Street in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, around 7:50 p.m. on Friday evening, leaving two teenagers hospitalized with non-life-threatening knife wounds to their faces.

Essex Police responded to reports of the fight, where weapons including knives and bottles were seen and used. Officers arrived quickly and remained at the scene overnight to restore order. The two injured teenagers, both receiving hospital treatment, suffered slash wounds during the chaos. A 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and remains in custody for questioning.

To prevent further incidents and antisocial behavior, police imposed multiple orders covering Southend High Street, Queensway to the seafront, Southchurch Road, London Road, Hamlet Court Road, and Lifstan. These include a dispersal order under Section 35 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, valid until 8 p.m. Sunday, which allows officers to disperse individuals to avoid harassment, alarm, distress, or crime. Additional measures under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act authorize suspicionless searches of people...