Violent scenes in Huddersfield and Holmfirth town centres over the weekend have been condemned by police and a senior Kirklees councillor.
In the first incident at 4.20am on Saturday 20 people were involved in a fracas inside McDonald’s on John William Street, Huddersfield.
This resulted in a 20-year-old man being arrested on suspicion of causing violent disorder while another man was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly. This was followed later that night by a 36-year-old man being kicked in the head in Holmfirth and requiring hospital treatment after suffering a fractured jaw.
The most serious disturbance saw 30 people involved in a melee outside McDonald’s at 4.20am on Sunday which resulted in two men being arrested on suspicion of causing an affray.
Chief Insp Jon Dunkerley, of Kirklees District Operations, said: “Police in Kirklees take incidents of alcohol-related disorder and anti-social behaviour extremely seriously and incidents such as those in Huddersfield and Holmfirth at the weekend, will not be tolerated.
“We are keen to hear from anyone who has any additional video footage of either of the incidents or has any information to come forward and speak to the police to assist with the ongoing investigation.
“We work closely in partnership with licensees, door staff and charities and voluntary agencies to protect people who visit Kirklees for a night out and make sure that people stay safe.
“Over the next few days we will be liaising with our partners to discuss any measures which need to be changed and implemented to ensure the safety of people visiting towns in the district.
“Operation Embrace, which is a proactive policing operation across Kirklees has been incredibly successful in tackling anti-social behaviour and alcohol related disorder and I would like to reassure public that Huddersfield and Holmfirth are safe places to visit and that any anti-social behaviour will be dealt with to protect the public.”
A McDonald’s spokesman said: “With regret, the area around this restaurant has experienced some anti-social issues over the weekend and we, along with other businesses affected, are taking this seriously.
“Security guards are in place at this restaurant and we continue to monitor the situation, whilst working in close partnership with local police. The safety of our colleagues and customers is of the utmost importance and we take a zero-tolerance approach to any behaviour that puts this at risk.”
Clr Andrew Cooper said violence would not be tolerated and added: “If McDonald’s are taking cash from people at that time in the morning then it is their responsibility to ensure that their premises are secure.”
