Seventeen arrested after party on London Underground

Sunday, June 1, 2008 

The underground was very crowded as a result of the event
Image: Annie Mole.

Seventeen people have been arrested after a party, attended by hundreds of people, took place on the London Underground to mark the last day that drinking alcohol was legal while travelling on the Tube.

There was a heavy police presence at the scene.
Image: Annie Mole.

The new ban prevents people from consuming, or carrying any alcoholic drinks while travelling on the London Underground. The restriction was announced by Boris Johnson soon after he became the new mayor of London.

Local police have said that the party, which was intended to just be an enjoyable evening, finished with an "unfortunate" ending. Several tube stations were shut due to the disruption caused by the large number of people; Liverpool Street, Euston, Euston Square, Aldgate, Gloucester Road and Baker Street were closed. The BBC has reported that some of the tube trains may have been damaged, despite a heavy police presence.

Jeroen Weimar, from Transport for London commented on the incidents."We are encouraging our passengers to show a bit more respect and to be more considerate and involve other peoples' views and other passengers views as they make their journeys," he commented. "And clearly drinking alcohol can create a culture whereby people feel it's okay to do that sort of thing, it's okay to get more drunk when you're travelling."

Sources

• "Tube drinks party sparks mayhem" — BBC News Online, June 1, 2008
• "Tube booze ban bash ends in chaos" — ITV, June 1, 2008