A TEEN has been arrested after a huge street brawl erupted in a seaside city last night.
The night saw at least 30 people fighting, some reportedly armed with knives and glass bottles.
A 15-year-old-boy has since been arrested on causing grievous bodily harm.
The teen remains in custody where he is being questioned by detectives.
The chaos unfolded in Southend High Street at around 7.50pm on Friday night.
Police raced to the scene after locals reported big brawls, prompting a large response.
The incident saw two individuals with knife wounds to the face, and a dispersal order has since been put in place.
The order is in place until 8pm Sunday, and covers Southend High Street and Queensway down to the seafront.
This extends to Southchurch Road, London Road, Hamlet Court Road and Lifstan.
Essex Police have called the measures necessary to “keep the public safe and prevent anti-social behaviour”.
Southend Local Policing Inspector Penny McQuade said: “Our message is really clear to people – Southend is open for business and enjoyment but it is closed for crime and those wishing to cause trouble.
“The events of last night were completely unacceptable, two young people suffered potentially life changing facial injuries while a number of others were hurt and those who witnessed it will no doubt have been frightened and concerned.
“We are not prepared to tolerate crime or anti-social behaviour and to this end we will continue investigating, arresting those responsible and patrolling the town to ensure it is safe and peaceful for our community to enjoy.
“We are really grateful to the community and businesses who called us really quickly and of course to the Southend Community Safety Unit who supported us throughout.”
Essex Police have appealed for information from the public, and asked witnesses to get in touch by submitting a report online, or using their chat service.
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Southend High Street, Essex Credit: Getty Images
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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