UK - The acrid smell of cannabis wafts across the green as a group of young teenagers brazenly pass around a joint. Nearby, underage drinkers swig from bottles of vodka and inhale balloons full of so-called 'hippy crack' laughing gas. This was the scene at 8pm on Thursday in a London park, and is similar to those being played out in open spaces across Britain this summer, three months after schools shut down, leaving hundreds of thousands of bored teenagers to run wild.
Dean Edwards, 32, who witnessed the trouble flare in Hove, said: 'A bunch of the kids were walking along singing "School's Out For Summer". They were clearly drunk.' The teenagers left empty beer cans, vodka bottles, hastily stubbed cannabis joints and laughing gas canisters behind after the police moved in to disperse the crowd. Deputy Chief Constable Jo Shiner criticised the 'shocking' scenes, adding: 'I would urge young people to think about their behaviour. A criminal record will not help you get a job in the future.'
Rod Barrett, 72, a retired teacher who lives opposite the park, said: 'I have a certain amount of sympathy with the teenagers because they have been left high and dry this summer, and hot weather combined with access to alcohol and drugs is always going to create a fervid atmosphere. The effect of children not being in school and having nothing to do will impact on communities like ours across Britain.'