Workers have told of the terrifying moment they had to turn off the fuel in their garage – to stop the premises from exploding as yobs pelted the property with fireworks.
The mayhem unfolded at a BP garage in Calder Road, Edinburgh, last night, and staff who were on shift at the time have lifted the lid on the Bonfire Night carnage.
They said they were forced to shut off fuel to the pumps after police raised the alarm at around 8pm – saying a gang of tooled up youths was headed their way. It’s claimed the crazed teens climbed over fences storing waste and gained access to crates.
The crates were filled with cardboard, and they set fire to the rubbish and rolled flaming bundles onto Calder Road to block traffic, Edinburgh Live reports. At the same time, a pair of male youths allegedly lit up pyros on the garage forecourt.
One worker said: “Around 40 of them were outside the business with baseball bats. They jumped our wall and managed to get into the cages which were storing cardboard and rubbish.
“They set this alight on Calder Road and had a standoff with police. We had to shut the garage for several hours. Nothing was damaged thankfully but it was terrifying seeing them setting off fireworks in the garage forecourt.
“These kids just don’t care and there is nothing you can do other than stand and watch. Police were very good and warned us beforehand there would be trouble. We have to be careful with having live pumps so we were prepared.
“When we received the warning from police we just hit the emergency button and cut everything off and shut early. We then watched as they threw glass bottles and let off fireworks at the police.”
Those working at the site were trapped inside the building for hours as chaos ensued around them. Video footage from the incident showed riot police responded to youths throwing glass bottles and indiscriminately shooting fireworks at motorists and businesses.
The manager of the garage and other colleagues were called in off shift to try to help secure the premises while police dealt with the disorder. Sadly those working at the business said antisocial behaviour has become commonplace.
And they said staff regularly have to deal with daily shoplifting and threats. One worker added: “These kids are always causing problems and there is nothing we can do about it. We are losing around £50-60 a day at times from shoplifting.
“They come in with their faces covered and cause trouble for the staff. The shoplifting and threats are constant. There is a lot of stress and tension having to deal with these youths all the time. Police Scotland has been approached for comment.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter.