Essex arcade owner feels 'let down' by 'scaremongering' and recent violence in Southend
Martin Richardson is manager of Happidrome Arcade
Business owners in Southend have said they had to plan in advance of the planned demonstrations in Essex on Tuesday night. They had to change round staff members, bring in a lot of outside equipment, and in some cases, shut early.
Martin Richardson is the manager of Happidrome Arcade on Southend-on-Sea seafront.
He says the 'scaremongering' online of planned protests, and the 'town centre shutting at 5pm', left the seaside 'dead quiet'.
Mr Richardson says it's 'massively' affected his business.
"It had a massive knock on effect on us. We feel quite let down. We have a very short season where we have to make our money to last in the Winter season.
"It has put serious doubt on the futures of everything that goes into arcade.
He adds that they were already 'under pressure' after the violence and disorder on Tuesday 30 July. Eight people were arrested for possession of a weapon and seven people have now charged.
Assistant Chief Constable Andy Mariner from Essex police has responded to the planned protests on Tuesday 7 August.
He said: “It passed off peacefully after disinformation online failed to encourage disorder.
“I want to say thank you to our communities across the county for their response.
“Where people did gather, they do so peacefully.
“I also want to thank you for ignoring the disinformation that went around. Some of the details including around locations were just plain false.
“We continue to have a visible presence on our seafronts, on our roads, and in our towns, cities, and villages.
“And anyone trying to commit crime will be arrested.”