Disorder and fighting erupted at Bridgwater Carnival after results were announced at the weekend. Two people sustained head injuries in an incident that involved members from rival clubs on the night of Sunday, November 3.
Victory went to the Gremlins Carnival Club for their Beatlemania-themed entry, but success quickly turned sour as reports emerged of “verbal and physical abuse” inflicted on two of their members after the results were announced after the hugely popular event in the Somerset town.
In response to the incident, the Newmarket Carnival Club offered their apologies for the incident, blaming the “action of one individual” for tarnishing their reputation. “It has ‘created a bad image for the club,” they regretfully noted.
The Gremlins Club opened up about the event on Facebook stating: “A carnival weekend that won’t be forgotten for many reasons. We welcome the planned investigation from Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival into the second consecutive year of results issues.
“The chain of events that followed subsequently led to verbal and physical abuse, with two members suffering head injuries following last night’s results. Whilst we have been lucky enough to be awarded 1st place, we have been saddened by the backlash directed at the club both online and in person.”
Meanwhile, Newmarket Carnival Club said: “The Carnival Club would like to deeply apologise following the altercations that occurred after the results reading on Sunday evening. The action of one individual have unfortunately created a bad image for the club.
“We do not condone these actions as that is not what Newmarket CC has built it’s reputation on. This has been dealt internally by the club. We understand someone has been injured and we would like to take this opportunity to forward on our best regards and a speedy recovery.”
Meanwhile, Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival has taken to Facebook to apologise for technical difficulties experienced during their 2024 event: “Bridgwater Carnival Committee would like to apologise for the issues surrounding the results of our 2024 procession. We experienced some technical issues with the laptops we were using last night, which sadly we were unable to resolve.”
“We understand many entrants are upset and disappointed and so are we with the uncertainty it has caused. The results team are reconvening this morning to rectify the issue and we will announce the results on our Facebook Page as soon as we can.
“You can be assured we will be carrying out a thorough review into what happened with the results over the coming weeks, although as we are sure you will appreciate, this will not happen until after the 2024 carnival season is over.
“We are all volunteers in carnival, and we would appreciate your patience at this time. We are doing everything we can to remedy the situation.”