Police officers fear being attacked, sexually assaulted or trampled in a deadly crowd crush at Notting Hill Carnival as fears mount over another weekend of violence.
Some 7,000 Metropolitan Police officers and staff will be trying to keep up to two million revellers safe as they descend on the packed streets of west London.
But officers are concerned about becoming isolated and being 'at the mercy of the crowd' after 61 of them were assaulted in just two days at last year's festival.
Police were kicked, punched, pushed, spat at, headbutted and had glass bottles thrown at them in 2024 when 349 arrests were made - the highest total since 2019.
Residents and business owners were this week photographed boarding up properties along the carnival route in an attempt to reduce the risk of damage this weekend.
