POLICE are reviewing their handling of the violent disturbances which wrecked Christmas for holidaymakers and villagers, after a 40-strong group ran amok at a popular Forest resort.
Pubs and shops in Parkend and Lydney closed on police advice after disruption over the festive period at Whitemead Forest Park left holidaymakers terrified.
The park is also reviewing its security arrangements after some visitors cut short their stays amid incidents of drunken fighting and shouting late into the night, while the Forest of Dean Council says it will also be discussing the disorder.
Parkend businesses had to count the cost of losing all their lucrative Boxing Day trade, while Whitemead closed all its bar, restaurant and swimming facilities in a bid to contain the disruption, which saw a 16-year-old arrested and cautioned for attacking a police officer.
While some posts on social media claimed the police response had been inadequate, a Gloucestershire Police spokesman said officers had worked with staff to manage and resolve “a challenging situation” after the initial reports of anti-social behaviour on Saturday, December 23.
“Additional officers from elsewhere in the county were assigned to the area ready to respond to any further disorder.
“We are now carrying out a debrief to go over the actions we took and will consider any concerns the community have.”
Eyewitnesses said members of the ‘travellers’ group caused “mayhem” until they left last Wednesday (December 27), leaving a trail of damage in their wake.
A statement issued this week said around 40 people had “caused disruption and distress to guests and staff at the site by behaving in an anti-social manner.”
It added: “Although none of the guests were injured, a number of glasses were broken and some superficial damage was made to some of the park furnishings and glamping pods.”
Whitemead Forest Park general manager Mandy Thomas said: “We have been overwhelmed with the support from the police and local community to help get things running smoothly again.
“Thanks to the help from them and our brilliant staff, we were quickly able to get back to normal and welcome guests for their New Year celebrations.
“I’ve worked here for over 20 years and have never experienced an incident like this. We take concerns raised about the level of security at the park very seriously and are contacting guests affected by the incident.”
Parkmead village went into lock down, with the Fountain and Woodman pubs forced to shut all Boxing Day and cancel lunch reservations, alongside the village shop and cafe, which stayed closed until Thursday (December 28).
In Lydney, The Swan pub, 3 Hill Street club and Bargain Booze reportedly closed early on Boxing Day amid reports of rowdy behaviour and damage.
Fountain landlord Alan Powell, who runs the Parkend pub with wife Michelle, said: “They (the ‘travellers’) were quite dominating walking around the village, and although we didn’t have any trouble, we decided to close early on Christmas Day when a group came in. On Boxing Day, when we were fully booked, we closed all day on police advice, which was a massive hit for us.”
Caroline Hinton, who works at the Woodman pub, said: “We had a few younger ‘traveller’ lads in here, who got a bit rowdy but were no trouble really.
“The police asked us to close all Christmas and Boxing days. It’s put a real damper on Christmas for so many. It’s unbelievable that a little village like ours had to go into lock down at Christmas.”
Meanwhile, the Forest council tweeted yesterday (Tuesday, January 2): "The council is aware of the disruption that affected Whitemead Forest Park Park and the surrounding businesses during the festive period.
"The council’s scrutiny committee will be looking into the matter and the subsequent impact on local businesses, residents and visitors."
One woman, whose family stayed next to some of the travellers, said: "It was horrific for over three hours solid. My two children, husband and I were petrified."
She posted that they were forced to leave on Christmas Day owing to the "barbaric" behaviour which went on until 4am.
"You could hear every punch and slap, they were killing each other. Foul language that my children had to listen to, (we were) so frightened we slept all together."
"It was so, so brutal... when they came back in the morning banging on doors we just got packed up and left as fast as we could.
"You couldn’t use any of the facilities, it was just overrun by them all. The panto was fab but ruined as they pulled the set down. The carol service on Christmas Eve was cancelled. We spent all Christmas Day in tears, but are feeling lucky we escaped when we did."
Another woman said the swimming pool was "mayhem" on Christmas Eve as up to 20 travellers caused chaos, including throwing water on the sauna which had to be closed.
"We were shouted at, had hairbrushes thrown in from changing rooms... jumping and diving and splashing never mind all the swearing and shouting... the poor lifeguards were scared and exhausted," she said.
Another visitor added: "We ended up leaving for our safety as we were in a bungalow with four young children in the middle of it all... I understand the staff tried their best and security was brought in, but too little, too late."
One holidaymaker said she "really felt for the staff" in a "horrendous" situation, while another, who left early because of the "intimidating" atmosphere", said the staff had been "brilliant"
One poster added that the holiday had been "ruined" by the group "trashing the place, shouting, gathering, drinking, and fighting," while another said: "It’s awful that our trip away has been ruined by these barbaric people. Total disregard to other people and ruined a lot of Christmases."
Several posters on social media said they had asked for and been given refunds by park owners Boundless.