Fireworks crowd push down fencing at Winchester display

Scores of people scrambled through the opened temporary fencing at River Park in Winchester on Saturday evening.

The 65th display was organised by Winchester Round Table Bonfire and had included the traditional torchlight procession from the Broadway.

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Security fencing was pushed down on Saturday (Image: Andrew Napier)

Thousands of people attended the event at the park which only has five exit points.

Unlike most, many people were not prepared to wait and two breaches were made in the fencing, one at the River Park car park and the other near Dutton Bridge.

But for many it backfired as it took them into a dead end and an even longer wait to get out of the park.

Security staff told them to retrace their steps back through the gap in the fence.

A spokesman for the Round Table said: "This year’s Winchester Round Table Bonfire & Fireworks was a magnificent evening raising thousands of pounds for local charities, and we thank everyone who came for their kind donations and respect for each other and the stewards’ instructions.

“Our event is carefully planned with everyone’s safety as our top priority and to ensure ticket holders can leave the ground through a number of designated exit gates at the end of the display.

"Everyone was encouraged to use all the available gates over the public address, so we were disappointed at the actions of a few individuals.

“We are reviewing the matter and we continuously improve how our event is coordinated every year.”