A market town was turned into a 'scene out of Mad Max' after some attendees of a Gypsy Christian festival supported by 1,500 travellers ran amok including allegedly looting shops, drag racing on rural roads and having massive food fights in McDonald's.
Residents in Oakham said the town is in a 'state of panic' following reports of physical and verbal abuse of staff and locals after travellers came to attend a religious event in Rutland Showground in Leicestershire.
Others criticised what they perceived to be a lack of a serious police presence in the town as the festival continued. Business owners reported CCTV feeds of their premises showed people trying doors after hours, while one man claimed gangs of men were ‘driving around the villages looking for things they can take’.
Around 1,500 travellers in hundreds of caravans descended on Rutland Showground for the Pentecostal Gypsy-led Christian event, called the festival of Light and Life - but organisers admit 'a lot of non-Christians have attended'.
Pubs and restaurants were forced to close early, teenage McDonalds workers were reduced to tears and 4X4s were seen drag racing on the town bypass. But despite the anger and fear in Oakham that has left people too scared to leave their homes.
But a traveller helping organise the event has denied there was chaos in Rutland over the weekend, insisting it was 'nice and peaceful on the field' and hinted that any criticism may be stoked by anti-traveller sentiment.
He told the BBC: 'We are inviting the locals to come down and have a look for themselves, listen to what it's all about and come have a cup of tea and a sandwich any time. Obviously there has been the odd disturbance but it is a minority and they are nothing to do with the organisation.
'With us being a gypsy and traveller organisation it always comes with the stigma of us causing trouble, but we are just preaching the gospel.'
Residents in Oakham said the town is in a 'state of panic' following reports of drag racing after travellers came to attend a mass event in Rutland Showground (pictured) in Leicestershire
Elijah Ward, from the church's Darlington branch which organised the event, said that if there was trouble it was not caused by his church's followers.
Mr Ward said: 'We are a Christian community and we are followers of Jesus. A lot of non-Christians have attended. Jesus says we should go into the community and preach the good news of the lord and that is what we are doing. We are trying to preach the gospel to them... to help them change their ways.'
Many people questioned why the Life and Light festival had been sanctioned at Rutland Showground when the forthcoming Festival of Food and Farming has been cancelled due to Covid restrictions.
Life and Light Missions started as Vie et Lumiere in France about 50 years ago, and took off in the UK after French Gypsies brought the Gospel over about 30 years ago.
In 2017, attendees at a similar Light and Life event in Thame, Oxfordshire, were accused of inflicting 'chaos' and crime, including theft and abusive behaviour towards local residents.
Zoe Nealson, the town mayor, said the community was ‘on edge’. She added: ‘Residents have endured massive levels of disruption and anti-social and threatening behaviour.
‘It’s extremely worrying. This is an organised festival which went through the proper channels but it appears to have got out of hand very quickly.
‘Lots of people have reported police disinterest but I have also seen pictures showing lots of police vehicles on the bypass.’
One woman writing on social media told how she had been forced in to the curb as she drove her children home after swerving to avoid ‘two big trucks racing each other along the bypass’.
Another resident said his 17-year-old daughter had endured her worst ever shift at the local McDonalds, where customers thought to be attending the festival ignored mask and social distancing requirements and began throwing food around the restaurant.
Among hundreds of angry comments on Rutland Showground’s Facebook page was one from Dean Collins who warned that ‘shops are being looted and closing down early to avoid trouble’.
Meanwhile Ian Stewart wrote on Saturday night: ‘Just walked the dog down the bypass, it’s like a scene out of Mad Max, the bypass is more like a drag strip tonight. A brand new Range Rover almost pulling a wheelie, Mustangs letting rip, trucks turning round in middle of the highway, hundreds and hundreds of caravans.’
Martin Underwood added: ‘It’s 21.40 and there are clearly drag races on the roads, alcohol and more and more vehicles arriving. No police, no responsibility by the showground and this will cost a fortune to clear up.’
Residents claim some attendees have been attempting to steal from nearby shops or break into premises, while there have allegedly been reports of fighting in the area, according to The Sun.
One resident told the publication: 'We're scared to leave our houses. They have blocked one of the bypasses with their trucks and some local staff in shops have been physically and verbally abused.
Police confirmed that they made a number of arrests on Sunday evening following reports of 'anti-social
