The Meadows: Massive brawl breaks out in Edinburgh on Scotland's hottest day of the year

The fight broke out as the Capital’s beauty spot drew crowds of people enjoying the sun

A massive brawl broke out in the Meadows yesterday evening on Scotland’s hottest day of the year.

Large groups of people had congregated in the Edinburgh beauty spot on Thursday to enjoy the highs of 27C, when things got out of hand around 10.45 pm.

A video of the fighting sent to the Edinburgh Evening News shows groups of revellers embroiled in a punch-up as the sun sets.

There were also reports of a makeshift ‘live concert’ as high powered speakers and a microphone were set up.

Following incidents of disorder in Edinburgh recently, police officers are appealing to the public to refrain from gathering in large groups.

Superintendent Mark Rennie said: “We have some fantastic parks and open spaces in the city for our residents to enjoy, and it’s been reassuring to see that the vast majority of residents are adhering to the government guidelines and working together to 'Stay Safe, Protect Others, Save Lives' to prevent further spread of the virus.

"Saying this, over the last week as the weather has improved, we have seen larger gatherings at the Meadows, Portobello Beach and other areas of the city. The regulations remain that people should only leave the house for very limited purposes, for example, for basic necessities, for exercise or recreation, for medical needs or travelling for

work which cannot be done from home.

“We will continue to engage with the public, explain the legislation and encourage compliance, using enforcement as a last resort. However, disorder, drunkenness and antisocial behaviour won’t be tolerated and those involved face arrest and prosecution.

"Over the last two nights we have seen large crowds gather in the Meadows specifically and some isolated disturbances later in the evening. This was completely unacceptable behaviour and we are carrying out an investigation to identity those who engaged in disorder within the park.

"We are currently working with the City of Edinburgh Council to address some of the recent issues being experienced and they will be supporting us this weekend to manage parks and green spaces across the city. My advice is not to gather in groups in the Meadows and we will have a continuous presence in the area to prevent disorder and

ensure the safety of residents."

This comes the day after there was widespread condemnation after the same area was left covered in rubbish, leaving council workers to be on site before 7 am to clean it up.

The copious litter drew complaints from Edinburgh City Council leader Adam McVey who said: “Waste teams do a brilliant job & work really hard to keep our City clean.

“This isn’t about bin emptying, this crap was deliberately left by people in the middle of the park who thought it was someone else’s responsibility to clear up after them.

“It’s isn’t.”

Edinburgh based author Ian Rankin posted pictures of the mess on twitter which drew comments from TV presenter Lorraine Kelly, who said: “Ridiculous - so selfish - drives me nuts.”

There have also been complaints about public urination in the area, with residents who live near the Meadows saying that their doorways and walls are being used as temporary toilets.

The council announced on Thursday that public toilets in Edinburgh wouldn’t be open again until at least July 9.

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