A HUGE brawl between groups of teenagers which saw them fighting each other with hammers and other weapons has left the Yate community in shock.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the ‘violent altercation’ on Station Road at 7pm on Friday night, which left five cars and one van damaged and glass shattered all over the main road. Golf clubs were found in residents’ gardens and young children were said to have witnessed the bloody scenes.

The fracas is believed to have involved groups of teenagers from Kingswood and an area known as Banjo Island in Cadbury Heath and followed the funeral of 17-year-old Hayden Langdon, from Yate, who died at the end of August.

Police said it involved 20 young people but local residents have said up to 40 teens were fighting with many left blood-stained and dazed.

Ben Lea, who lives on Station Road, was inside his house on Friday night when he heard a commotion outside.

“I was sat in my living room with my fiancé and I heard screaming,” said Ben, a barber in Yate Shopping Centre.

“I thought this isn’t right. I went outside and there were about 30 to 40 teenagers, all about 16 to 18-years-old, fighting in the road. They were swinging chairs at cars and one of them threw a chair into the back windscreen of my car.

“They were throwing chairs at passing cars which had children in. It was awful and they were just vile.”

Mr Lea, 30, witnessed one boy being hit on in the face with a hammer.

“There were quite a few people on the floor injured and some with blood all down their faces,” he added. “The whole street was trashed and there were girls screaming.

“I have never known anything like it in Yate before.”

Mr Lea, who has lived on Station Road for two years, has paid £160 to have his car window fixed and still needs further repairs to the bodywork.

“I don’t have much luck with cars here but I have never known there to be any violence,” he said. “It was only 7pm and my neighbours have children and there were kids in the back of passing cars.

“I am extremely angry and want them to know they can’t get away with it.”

Chairs from a seating area outside of Pisces Fish and Chip shop were used in the brawl. The shop owners said there had not been any further damage.

Jamie Dracup, who works at Yate Community Centre, was opening up the hall for a ballroom dance at the time.

He told the Gazette: “I heard them all mouthing off and then 11 or 12 police cars turned up.

“I went out to see what the ruckus was and to make sure our ballroom dancers were okay. We didn’t have any damage.

“I haven’t seen anything like that before.”

A police spokesman said: “Approximately 20 people were involved in a violent altercation with some using weapons to cause injury and damage cars. No-one was seriously injured during the incident.

“As a result of our enquiries, four men have been arrested in connection with this incident.

“We are keen to speak to anyone who was in the Station Road area of Yate on Friday evening who may have information regarding this incident.

“We are particularly keen to speak to anyone who may have mobile phone footage of the incident.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 and quote crime reference number 5215004405.