Street brawl wrecks home

A gang of eight men burst into the home of a Shropshire woman and trashed hundreds of pounds worth of antiques as they brawled in her lounge.Dee Wilson, 63, said she had gone from watching television alone in her Shifnal home “to complete mayhem” in seconds after she opened her door to the melee. Mrs Wilson was injured in the incident at about 8.20pm on Saturday in Broadway.

She said the gang burst into her terraced home after she opened the door when she heard a bang and screams for help.

She said they smashed “irreplaceable” items, including her husband Jim’s late mother’s coffee table.

Mrs Wilson said: “I’m bruised and somewhat traumatised but I’m also very angry. I know there was at least six men but at one point there may have been eight.

“I was very intimidated by a man with a bottle. I was screaming in my loudest voice for them to get out and grabbing hold of their hair to drag them out. They were just so intent on causing real injury to each other.”

Mrs Wilson said: “Most of the things that have gone are irreplaceable because of the memories or because they are antique.

“It went from me watching television to complete mayhem in about two seconds.

“There’s a feeling of disbelief when there’s a street brawl in your own home,” she said.

Mrs Wilson said two girls, who refused to give their names, stayed behind after the men fled to help clear up the mess.

She does not know how long the fighting went on for, but she said she has been left with bruises and injury to her leg.

But Mrs Wilson said she was not “angry” with the men because they had not targeted her house specifically but blamed the local authorities, as she said she believed the fight was as a result of the fair going-ahead at Shifnal Carnival.

Police said they could not confirm if the brawl was linked to the other incidents on Saturday or the carnival.

Maria Hawkaluk, police spokeswoman, said: “An officer arrived at the address within five minutes but the offenders, a group of six to eight males, had left the house and made off. A search was carried out but they were not found.”

By Kirsty Marston