Police in Northern Ireland were called to disperse a large group of teenagers who had congregated on a pylon - in breach of coronavirus restrictions.
Officers received reports of the gathering from residents in Rocky Road, south Belfast, on Saturday night, with one woman describing the scenes as 'an absolute mess'.
The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told Belfast Live: "From about 5.45pm upwards children started arriving by private car, so their parents were obviously leaving them, and there were taxis as well. It was an absolute mess. I collected all the bottles and all the rubbish and stuff.
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"The kids were actually climbing on the electric pylon and sitting on the pylon swinging their legs.
"I phoned the police at 6.02pm and the police eventually arrived at 6.45pm. One car came first and they were probably stunned and then three other vehicles came after that.
"The police were fabulous. They tried to move the kids on, they all started to run and try and jump over the fence into the [Cregagh] Glen. Police did try and follow them."
A Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) spokesperson reiterated the importance of all sections of society adhering to coronavirus restrictions.
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They said: "One youth was spoken to and taken home to his parents and will be referred to the youth diversion officer.
"I would ask young people who choose to engage in anti-social behaviour to think again and understand it is unacceptable. People have a right to live in peace and to feel safe in their communities and at a time when we face a global health emergency posed by Covid-19 it is vital everyone adheres to the government's regulations on social distancing.
"It is important parents are vigilant and speak to their kids about where they are and who they are with."
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Police across the UK have been reinforcing this message as some youths continue to flout social distancing rules. In Manchester, police issued a warning to students following numerous breaches.
Student Safe Lead, Inspector Shoheb Chowdhury of Greater Manchester Police's City of Manchester Division, said: "Where necessary we are prepared to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs), and in the seven days preceding 23 September, 29 FPNs were issued to students across the City of Manchester Division.
"We continue to work positively with our partners across the higher education sector to drive home the importance of following restrictions.
"We'd encourage all students to consider the potentially negative impact on their education - not to mention their health and that of their loved ones - before attending gatherings that break the law."
Featured Image Credit: Belfast LiveTopics: Police, UK News, Northern Ireland, Coronavirus
