Well at about 8ish we left to head for Charring x on the train. On the train there were obviously high numbers of youths drinking and in high spirits. It was loud but all in good spirits...no pun intended.
We arrived at Charring x at about nine and headed off to get something to eat. Mcdonalds seemed like a good idea. It was rammed in there, but we mangaed to eat something and head off to find a viewing point.
By now it was getting very busy and there was an abundance of police on duty. We asked a nice bobby where a good point would be and he directed us to a turning which led down to the Embankment along the Thames.
We got there and everyone was in a good mood. Yes a few drunks but all laughing and singing. We found our viewing spot just close to the London Eye, and right next to the Embankment station, which we thought would make it easier to go home that way. The station was closed but was under the impression it would re-open at , to let people get to Charring x that way.
We waited for two hours in the freezing cold for New Year to arrive. By then our feet were numb and we was cold through but....when it came Wow. The firework display was just unbelievable, and the crowd were brilliant. At we went to the station, which was still closed, only to be told that it was to remain that way and the only route back to Charring x was the route we had taken to get there by.
Then the fun started. A journey that would normally take ten minutes, took over two hours. The Police in whatever wisdom they thought would be safe, made the journey back to the station dangerous. They herded thousands and thousands down a small side street, to get everyone to the main line and underground stations.
There were people as far as the eye could see, both behind and in front. People were going nowhere but still drunken idiots continued to push forward, causing a crush effect further up. I at one point got seriously concerned for our safety. It was dangerous and I thought someone was going to get seriously hurt, or worse.
The organisation by the Police to get people to the stations, was at best ignorant and at worse madness. There were people there with young kids in that enviroment, and with that ammount of people was plain crazy.
The atmosphere changed hugely after midnight from a happy one, to a drunken orgy of ferel thugs, too pissed to care about others safety. I understand people want a drink and fun but the ferel piss heads and their drunken behaviour, could have had serious implications, for the innocents who were there.
I will be writing to the police to air my views, as this was not the first year they had done these celebrations. The organisational skills were absent, and whilst it was the public that was making things dangerous, why they shut ALL routes to the stations, except one small side street is madness. They even shut the main entrance to the station.
After that madness that took place and peoples inability to control their behavour, and their drink, I will never ever go there again. I also urge anyone else who may be thinking of going next year or any other year, to avoid it like the plague. Especially avoid even contemplating taking young kids.
How nobody was killed I think was down to pure luck, but people were being carried out of the crowd, so some must have been at least injured.
Pure madness and if that is peoples idea of a good night out, then they are welcome to it. Drink and loads of people do NOT make a good combination.
I tend to avoid places where there are large crowds, as football used to be like that in the 70's, and Hillsborough tells us what large ammounts of people herded into a confined space can do. One year I am now convinced, a similar thing will happen in London.
The behaviour of a lot of the people there, through their drinking was disgusting. I also read the papers today and found out it was not only London which suffered the same kind of mindless thugs, which through drink, put others lives on the line.
Well from now on they are welcome to act that way, but we will not be there to witness it anytime in the future. If that is the best the police can do, then God help people next year, because I feel someone will get killed there.
Also anyone of those drunken pigs who was pushing and causing the problems, I hope they have such a shitty 2009, and huge bad luck.
