Angry Liverpool shop owners ask why roads were open to vehicles before disaster

Daily Mirror

4 days ago

Despite warnings given to businesses about the expected crowds, not all roads on the route were closed for the parade which ended in chaos and 79 people injured after a car crashed into fans
Angry shop owners have questioned why some roads remained open to vehicles for the Liverpool FC homecoming.
Despite warnings given to businesses about the expected crowds, Dale Street in the centre of Liverpool was not completely closed. The parade ended in chaos, with 79 people injured after a car crashed into fans on adjoining Water Street. Months of planning went into the event, and a "robust traffic management plan" was in place, Liverpool city council said.
But Gareth Morgan, 46, owner of The Dead Crafty Beer Company on Dale Street, outlined how he was told to remove street furniture for the event last Monday. He demanded to know why vehicles were still allowed access. "When you have 800,000 people walking back up to the city centre, it's crazy that any of the main roads in the city centre were open," he said.
"Everyone I have spoken to is in agreement that it should not have been open to traffic. The pavements aren't big enough to take that volume of the public, so the only place for them to go is the road."
Mohamad Abbar, of A2Z Mobile on Dale Street, added: "There were too many people on this road."
Liverpool City Council stressed Dale St had not been completely closed for Liverpool FC victory parades in the past, and the bus had travelled on the same route as in 2019 and 2022.
Elsewhere on the 10-mile route, one side of Queens Drive remained open. Again, crowds were forced onto the road at the same time as vehicles, including heavy goods wagons.
Eyewitnesses told how 'dozens of HGVs' were on the route at the same time as big crowds.
Cllr Alan Gibbons, who leads the city's Community Independents Group, submitted a Right to Know request to the city council regarding organisation of the parade.
In an email to council chief executive Andrew Lewis, he wrote: "Based on footage circulating on social media and mainstream news outlets, a number of critical questions arise surrounding the circumstances of the incident, the preparedness of the authorities, and the overall safeguarding of the public.
"Why does footage appear to show no visible police presence in the vicinity at the time of the vehicle entering the area?
"What was the contingency plan in the event of a vehicle breach, and how was it communicated to officers and stewards on duty?"
The city's Lib Dem leader Cllr Carl Cashman has called for a full independent inquiry.
Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims told how they worked with event organisers on traffic management.
‌
It included a number of road closures throughout the route and the city centre.
Former Royal Marine Paul Doyle appeared at Liverpool Magistrates' Court and Liverpool Crown Court last week.
He faced seven charges including wounding with intent, causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, attempting to cause GBH with intent and dangerous driving.
Mr Doyle faces charges relating to six victims, including two children aged 11 and 17, after a total of 79 people were injured. He will next appear at Liverpool Crown Court on 14 August for a plea hearing.