UP to 40 people were gathered on Event Square last night when a fight broke out with glasses and bottles thrown, Falmouth's police chief has told the Packet.

Insp Martin Roberts said only a few people were actually involved in the violence, with the majority just watching as events unfolded before them.

People had been drinking all day in the square after being permitted to drink outside at establishments serving alcohol for the first time in 15 weeks.

Insp Roberts said one of his officers was assaulted in the process but is OK and there were no injuries caused to any of the police.

He said he didn't want to play things down but this was the kind of thing his officers had to dealt with regularly before the lockdown, although the number of people around at the time was unusual.

"We have these type of issues when we didn't have Covid," he said. "We'd have a couple of people fighting in the street and there'd be a group of people around. I think what's heightened it is the fact that there are no premises for people to go into.

"This one there were 30 to 40 people around because they can't go in a pub and they're milling around outside so when the fight kicked off there are all these people around watching and having nowhere to go."

Police were called to Discovery Quay, Falmouth, last night at around 11.30pm with a report of a large fight involving bottles and glasses being thrown.

A 19-year-old man sustained a wound to his eye/face, a 22-year-old man sustained a dislocated shoulder and a 21-year-old man sustained a minor injury to his head.

A 21-year-old man from Falmouth was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly and was subsequently released with no further action to be taken.

A 22-year-old man from Falmouth and a 19-year-old man from Newquay were arrested on suspicion of assault causing actual bodily harm and are police custody this morning.

Read next:

Serious injuries and three arrests after mass brawl with bottles and glasses thrown

Insp Roberts said it would be an assumption as to why they started punching each other.

"It could've been a number of things," he said. "Because everyone is out in the public space we have all these people gathered and a fight's kicked off.

"I would suggest it has happened because it is the first time people have gone out and premises were open.

"We have small group of individuals who took it upon themselves to start fighting."

Posting on Facebook Sarah Davies said when her husband took the dog for a late night walk there were 'absolutely loads of peeps' in Event Square 'kicking off' with police in attendance.

"Such a shame but hopefully nobody seriously hurt," she said. "A long time since people went pubbing so hopefully just over emotional."