Police said they have received information about an “unauthorised event” planned for Saturday “similar” to one that led to a machete fight on Southend seafront.
As a result, Essex Police have been given extra stop and search powers over the weekend.
A video shared on social media showed at least four people dressed in black brandishing machetes in front of the Adventure Island theme park on Tuesday.
Essex Police said it believes the conflict occurred within groups of young men and women who had travelled to Southend and that another unauthorised event is being planned for Saturday.
As a response, police said a dispersal order was being put in place – giving officers the power to direct people who cause or are suspected of causing crime and anti-social behaviour to leave an area or face arrest.
A further dispersal order & Section 60 authority will be in place in Southend following information about an unauthorised event which may lead to disorder.
The dispersal order’s in place from 2pm on Sat for 24 hours & the Section 60 from 3pm for 24 hourshttps://t.co/RAgDSg2ZZe pic.twitter.com/jHAuSyiO8m
— Essex Police (@EssexPoliceUK) August 2, 2024
This order is in place from 2pm on Saturday until 2pm on Sunday.
A Section 60 is also in force from 3pm on Saturday for 24 hours, giving officers in uniform powers to stop and search any pedestrian or anything carried by them, any vehicle, its driver and passengers, for offensive weapons or dangerous instruments.
Both orders cover the entire Southend city area, south of the A13, including railway stations and transport hubs, police said.
On Friday morning, police said eight men and boys arrested in connection with numerous offences, including violent disorder and possession of offensive weapons, following the incidents on Tuesday remained in custody after officers were given more time to question them.
Nicola Tiney, who runs the Borough Hotel on the seafront, told the PA news agency that she believed around a thousand young people descended on the resort town, many from London, in an organised meet-up during the hot and sunny weather.
Ms Tiney said groups began arriving in the afternoon before pockets of violence and disorder started at around 7pm on Tuesday.
She went on: “Lots of them had their hoods up and were wearing masks and hats, just coming to the seafront resort to cause trouble.
“They congregated at the other end of the seafront and they started kicking off amongst themselves and running around…there were machetes out in the middle of the road.”
Seven weapons were seized following the violence and two of the people detained were taken to hospital with injuries which were not life-threatening or life-changing, Essex Police said.
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said at around 7pm it received reports that a man had been stabbed.
Another person was discharged at the scene.
Superintendent Leigh Norris said: “Southend is a really safe place to be and the incidents we saw on Tuesday are not common.
“However, we have information to suggest another incident similar to that which led to the issues we saw is planned for Saturday and we are acting now to prevent disorder.
“My message is clear – if you’re planning to come to Southend to cause problems, don’t bother.
“We will have officers waiting to meet you at our railway stations and ensure you can’t come into our city.
“There will be a very visible police presence, as there has been this week, and we will be utilising tools like the knife arch and OpenGate weapon detection system.”
She continued: “Our concerns do not relate to a pre-planned family community event being held by the Sierra Leone community.
“We have been aware for some time, we’ve engaged with the organisers, and they have gone through the proper process,” she added.
