Mods and skinheads armed with crowbars, bricks and clubs, fought a bloody battle in a South Ockendon street on Good Friday. The horrific incident has been dubbed by skinheads "The Erriff Raid.
About 40 youths ran riot in the street. Car windscreens and a telephone box were smashed. Bricks were hurled through windows, glass shattered in people's gardens and flowers were trampled.A number of youths were taken to hospital but released after treatment.
Mrs Florence Hugo, 72, who lives only a few houses away from the centre of the violence, said, "I watched out of the window, too scared to go out. It was terrible, I have never seen anything like it. They were running up and down the streets, carrying sticks and batons.".
Mr Tom Waterman, who lives in nearby Ernan Road, added, "They ran riot in the streets. I phoned the police - about six of us did - and then went outside. I had a heavy wooden car ramp at the front of my house. It had been thrown down the road and smashed to bits.".
It all started with a party in Erriff Drive that went terribly wrong. It was organised by teenage parents Kenny and Lesley Betts - whose six month old baby Mark was in it's cot upstairs as bricks and bottles were hurled through downstairs windows.
More than 80 mods arrived at the house party on scooters for a get-together before the traditional Bank Holiday rally at Brighton. But as the party got under way, gangs of skinheads drove up in cars. According to the mods, the skinheads started smashing the scooters and hurling bricks and bottles at the party house. The mods retaliated and running battles started spilling into side streets, as waves of skinhead attacks sparked terrifying violence.
Lesley Betts, 17, who has lived with her husband Kenny, 19, in the house since january, said, "Too many mods started arriving at the party, and we sent a lot of them away. We had asked the police to come round and keep an eye on the party to see if there was any trouble. But suddenly they rolled up in cars. A couple of mods were attacked outside. The mods got very angry and went outside after them. There were about 20 people fighting on each side. One girl was attacked when she went to phone for a taxi. When the taxis came their windscreens were smashed. We had to clean up glass and blood from streets and gardens".
South Ockendon police rushed to the scene in force but made no arrests. They say investigations are continuing, and have appealed for witnesses. Det Con Laurie Rampling of South Ockendon CID said, "We responded to a call about a large fight in Erriff Drive. There was a pre-Brighton rally party for mods - I have never seen so many scooters. The fighting was over when we arrived, but there is no doubt an outside element came to spoil the party. One lad was injured and taken to Orsett Hospital, but hasn't made any allegations. Four people have made complaints to us about damage to their cars - smashed windscreens and damaged panels".
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