Harrods stampede sparked terror attack fears as 300 young ‘travellers’ without masks tried to force their way into store

HARRODS was "overrun" by 300 young people without face masks thought to be members of the travelling community.

Worried on-lookers described chaotic scenes that triggered fears of a terrorist attack as those gathered outside the luxury store tried to force their way in.

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Photos show the large crowd - which gathered around 11.30am - crammed into a pedestrian street outside Harrods

Most of the people involved were not wearing masks or respecting social distancing rules, according to witnesses.

They described bottles being thrown and a security guard being punched, while cops made four arrests.

Sam Tressle, 26, said he was setting up his coffee stand when “suddenly people started running”.

“There were about 200 to 300 people, and I initially thought it was a terrorist attack,” he said.

"When you're in London and everyone starts running a certain way, you think the worst. I know it sounds ridiculous, but you can't really know."

Mr Tressle, of Havering, east London, said: "When I was at the door there was a girl saying 'you're racist towards us because we're travellers'.

"They all looked very similar, all the boys had the same haircuts and were wearing the same sort of clothes.

"They were probably as young as 12 all the way up to early 20s."

One witness told the MailOnline that a security guard was punched.

“I was outside and in Harrods last night. This was not just a random crowd of young people, they were travellers,” the unnamed witness said.

“They crowded every entrance and exit, some of them tried getting into the store and punched a security guard.

“They were threatening members of the public and there were a few fights in-store and outside.

“Obviously no attention to any Covid laws, they even spat at some members of security and the public. No masks, no social distancing - nothing.”

Another added: “There was a lot of beer bottles being thrown around, a lot of violence.

“I work in Knightsbridge and I really feared to get robbed and attacked when I went out for my break, they were like hooligans they broke displays for a cafe.”

Mr Tressle's fellow barista Liam Maddin, 27, said: "I probably first noticed them around 11.30am, and they were still here when we were leaving around 5.30pm.

"The sheer number of them in such a confined space, you just never know.

"I had a negative coronavirus test for uni yesterday and you just think all those people and, the younger you are, the more likely you are to be asymptomatic."

Kamran Hussain, 20, who works for Harrods as a Sales Associate, said: "I was going out for my lunch and I saw a big crowd of people who were all dressed up.

"I went back in and was like 'Covid-19 is still going on, right?' I looked outside and it looked like there was a rave.

"They looked like they were dressed up to go to a club or something. I think they knew each other because they were speaking to each other.

"I was a bit worried because I needed to get lunch and couldn't get through the crowd."

At 1pm the Metropolitan Police arrived at the scene, and formed a barrier, positioning themselves between Harrod's entrance and the large crowds.

"Police were called to reports of a large group of people attempting to enter a shop in Brompton Road, SW1," said the force.

"Four males were arrested in total - two for affray, one for breach of Covid regulations, and another for a public order offence and breach of Covid regulations."

A Harrods spokeswoman said the store has “significant measures in place to ensure the absolute health and safety of our colleagues and customers inside the store”.

“This includes the mandatory wearing of face covering at all times, strict capacity limits and restrictions on groups of more than six entering, with under-18’s always accompanied by an adult.

“Our security and retail teams implement these policies at entrances throughout the store and we will continue to deny entry to anyone who does not adhere to these guidelines.”

Police resources were stretched, though, as supercar hooligans shut down Pall Mall in central London on Saturday.

Photos of the area show burn-outs being carried out in front of car enthusiasts.

The bug has already killed over 61,000 people in the UK, and infected a total 1,705,971 so far this year.

Shops can stay open longer in the run-up to Christmas with a 24/7 option to boost retail after lockdown ended on December 2.

On average, families spend around £700 on their Christmas shopping, but a third of us are planning to shell out less than normal this year due to financial concerns caused by Covid.

It comes amid fears up to a million jobs could go in a high-street bloodbath after the pandemic ravaged retail, causing a £9bn hit to pre-Christmas sales.

People are being urged to support stores by going on a shopping splurge in the run-up to Christmas.

Cooped-up Brits have been jumping at the first tantalising taste of a return to normal life as all shops, salons, gyms and pubs are allowed to reopen across England.

However, a new stricter tier system has come into force across England.