Seventy treated for minor injuries on Bonfire Night in Lewes

Sussex Police and partner agencies worked together to ensure Lewes Bonfire Night 2018 was as safe and successful as possible.
Cliffe Bonfire Society on the march. Photograph by Lyndsey CambridgeCliffe Bonfire Society on the march. Photograph by Lyndsey Cambridge
Cliffe Bonfire Society on the march. Photograph by Lyndsey Cambridge

Some 25-30,000 people are estimated to have attended the event on Monday evening (November 5) and it concluded without major incident.

As a safety precaution, a number of road and rail restrictions were in place again this year, and advanced notice of this was circulated repeatedly by police and partners in the weeks leading up to Bonfire Night.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Chief Superintendent Neil Honnor said: “Public safety is our priority, and I’d like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding with regards to the travel restrictions.

“I’d also like to thank everyone who worked hard to ensure this was a safe and enjoyable event for all.

“Lewes Bonfire Night requires months of planning and preparation, and we couldn’t have done it without the co-operation of our fellow emergency services and partners, as well as the bonfire societies and the general public.”

As of 1am today (Tuesday, November 6), police had arrested three people as follows:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A 17-year-old boy from Lewes was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possession of an offensive weapon in public and possession of a Class A drug (cocaine).

An 18-year-old man from Lewes was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of a Class A drug (MDMA).

A 19-year-old woman from Newhaven was arrested on suspicion of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

All three remain in police custody at this stage.

Further to this, four fixed penalty notices were issued for throwing or discharging a firework in public and one cannabis warning was issued.

Approximately 70 people were treated by South East Coast Ambulance Service and St John Ambulance for injuries, the vast majority of which were relatively minor.