Attendees of Liverpool FC’s Premier League victory parade reported chaotic scenes along the 15km route, with vehicles – including heavy goods lorries – sharing roads with dense crowds
Concerns are mounting over the organisation of Liverpool FC’s Premier League victory parade after a car ploughed into crowds on Water Street, injuring 79 people – including children as young as nine.
Roughly one million fans had gathered for the celebration on May 26, and questions are now being asked about various organisational elements beyond the Water Street incident. Attendees reported chaotic scenes along the 15km route, with vehicles – including heavy goods lorries – sharing roads with dense crowds. One father, attending with his five-year-old son, captured images of large vehicles navigating Queens Drive just 20 minutes before the team bus arrived, with children clearly visible in the road.
The dad said: “Looking at it now after what had happened, how on earth is a lorry allowed to drive through hundreds of people lined on both sides of the road?”
A former Merseyside Police officer was equally concerned about Queens Drive staying open as he joined the parade close to the Jolly Miller pub with his children. He told Liverpool Echo: “As soon as we got to the Jolly Miller I could see that they had closed the inbound carriageway, where the parade bus would come through, but they hadn’t closed the other side.
“This meant that lots of vehicles, including dozens of Heavy Goods Vehicles, were trying to get along the road among loads of people, who were basically penned in because of how big the crowds were. There were lots of us asking what was going on, why were these vehicles being allowed through when there were so many people in the road? It instilled a bit of fear and anxiety. I couldn’t believe they were still allowing traffic through that area.”
Calls are growing louder for answers about traffic management and crowd safety – and how the celebration ended in disaster. Cllr Alan Gibbons, who leads the Liverpool Community Independents Group, submitted a Right to Know request to Liverpool City Council requesting “urgent clarification and accountability” over safety and planning for the event.
In an email to council chief executive Andrew Lewis, Cllr Gibbons said: “It is important to know whether sufficient measures were undertaken to protect the public. Based on footage circulating on social media and mainstream news outlets, a number of critical questions arise surrounding the circumstances of the incident, the preparedness of the authorities, and the overall safeguarding of the public.”
Clir Gibbons raised several questions about incident details and response, and whether lessons were learned from past events. He specifically asked about risk assessments, identification of vehicle-borne threats, and measures taken to prevent unauthorised vehicle access to parade routes.
He added in his email: “Why does footage appear to show no visible police presence in the vicinity at the time of the vehicle entering the area? What was the contingency plan in the event of a vehicle breach, and how was it communicated to officers and stewards on duty?”
Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Carl Cashman has also called for a judge-led full independent inquiry into the parade.
Speaking about the safety measures taken ahead of the event, Merseyside Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said: “In the lead up to this event we have been working closely with event organisers and a robust traffic management plan was put in place for the parade which included a number of road closures throughout the route and the city centre.”
Paul Doyle, 53, from Liverpool, appeared in court on Friday charged with various offences connected with the parade crash incident. He was remanded in custody to appear in court next for a plea hearing on August 14.
Merseyside Police said: “We are directing all queries regarding road closures to Liverpool City Council who had responsibility for traffic management for the event.”
The Mirror has contacted Liverpool City Council for comment.