Riot at new Muswell Hill discount store

THE new 99p Store in Muswell Hill was forced to temporarily close during its opening launch after dozens of schoolchildren surrounded the building, writes Robyn Rosen. The store, which officially opened on Tuesday morning on the old Woolworths site was fo

THE new 99p Store in Muswell Hill was forced to temporarily close during its opening launch after dozens of schoolchildren surrounded the building, writes Robyn Rosen.

The store, which officially opened on Tuesday morning on the old Woolworths site was forced to shut its doors just hours later at about 4pm.

A police spokeswoman confirmed that there were several injuries and four teenagers were arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm.

She said: "The shop had become very crowded with about 100 people, as a result of which staff at the venue had been asking people to leave. A disturbance followed during which several members of staff received minor injuries."

An ambulance spokeswoman said that one patient was taken to hospital after being assaulted. An eyewitness said he saw around 100 children surround the store. Another saw more than 15 police vehicles clogging up Muswell Hill Broadway as police attempted to disperse crowds.

A spokesman from the 99p Store said: "There was a small incident after over-exuberant children surrounded the store. We apologise to our new customers for any inconvenience. We're trying to ensure this won't happen again and want to advise customers that we do have several security guards keeping a very beady eye on things."

Four boys aged 15-years-old were arrested and have been bailed.