A man fleeing police at Notting Hill Carnival died after entering a canal – while arrest figures have climbed past 500.
Met Police confirmed on Monday night that the body of a man, thought to be in his 20s, was pulled from the water near Meanwhile Gardens.
The force was called at around 3.19pm on Monday and attempted to stop the individual in the Harrow Road area.
He fled on foot as officers followed behind but entered the water a short time later in the vicinity of Meanwhile Gardens.
The man was pulled from the water by officers and members of the public and he was immediately given CPR.
Paramedics continued treatment before taking the man to a central London hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Commander Smart said: ‘This is a tragic incident and our thoughts are with the loved ones of the man who has lost his life.
‘Any death following contact with the police is passed to the Independent Office for Police Conduct so the circumstances can be fully investigated. I would encourage everyone to avoid speculation while this work takes place.
A man is led away in handcuffs by police at Notting Hill Carnival on Monday, the ‘adults day’ of the street festival
Some 7,000 police officers and 3,000 stewards have been deployed for the festival weekend (pictured: a man being detained)
Day two of the festival is considered ‘adults day’ with louder music, bigger crowds and racier dancing
‘I acknowledge the efforts of the officers and members of the public who entered the canal to rescue this man. I know they will be devastated that his life couldn’t ultimately be saved.’
It comes as police arrested 315 people on the second day of the carnival – after confirming 243 arrests during the ‘family day’ on Sunday.
Pictures taken today show Met Police officers searching and arresting people during the carnival’s 60th anniversary celebrations.
Monday is considered the ‘adults day’ of Europe’s biggest street party, with loud sound systems, larger crowds, widespread drinking and racier dancing.
The force said it arrested 97 people on the ‘approaches’ to carnival, while the remainder were arrested within the event itself.
Offences ranged from possession of drugs and weapons to assaults, including assaults on emergency workers, and sexual offences.
Police say the majority of attendees have now ‘left the area’ – though officers remain on duty to ensure revellers ‘can get home safely’.
The Met added there were two assaults with knives over the course of the event – one stabbing and one slashing – neither of which resulted in life threatening injuries.
The total arrests over the two day police operation was 560 as of Monday evening.
It is likely the number will rise while further arrests are processed, police said.
Notting Hill Carnival attracts millions of revellers each year for two days of partying and Revellers could be seen climbing on top of bus stops amidst the party atmosphere at the carnival and engaging in racy dancing.
On Monday, 48 of the arrests followed identification using live facial recognition.
Using the technology, officers to stop 43 registered sex offenders to check they were complying with licence conditions. Three were arrested for breaching their conditions, in addition to three arrested for breaches on Sunday.
Of those arrested on Sunday, 61 were identified via facial recognition after the force deployed the technology as part of an intense policing operation at the festival, which attracts millions of people each year.
A man is taken aside by police officers at Notting Hill Carnival earlier on Monday
Revellers climb on top of a bus stop on Elkstone Road at the heart of the Notting Hill Carnival
Revellers climbing fences at the side of the railway in Notting Hill. The Met says the event has been ‘overwhelmingly positive’ despite making scores of arrests
A pair of revellers at Hammersmith Underground station put the finishing touches to their outfits – with an oversized bottle of Buzzballz cocktail for company
The Met has rolled out live facial recognition at the carnival, which it says helped it identify 61 wanted people
More than 7,000 police officers and 3,000 security stewards have been deployed in West London, and metal detectors have been installed on the perimeter of the festival.
The Met has also imposed a Section 60 order, allowing officers to stop and search anyone attending carnival without needing reasonable suspicion that they are harbouring drugs or weapons.
Police said the method had been used ‘extensively’ – with 62 weapons seized across both days, including a handgun during Monday afternoon.
Transport for London has made some Underground stations ‘exit only’ to prevent crushes – while some crowds opted to walk to Notting Hill from nearby Kensington, exiting from High Street Kensington station with scarves covering their faces.
Police commanders say the mood on Sunday was ‘overwhelmingly positive and celebratory’ despite being marred by scores of arrests.
Commander Claire Smart, gold commander for the carnival operation, said last week: ‘Our message is simple: come and enjoy Carnival, look after one another, respect the event, the communities hosting it and the police officers, stewards and other emergency services working to keep people safe.
Here are some pictures from Monday’s festivities
‘But if you’re coming to commit crime, to target others or to engage in violence – stay away or know that we will be work relentlessly to identify you and take action.’
The Met says it has worked with festival organisers to improve safety and security at the carnival, which has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years due to increasing violence and drug use.
Some 76 zombie knives, 30 flick knives and a machete have been seized following Met raids ahead of time, while a joint operation with Greater Manchester Police saw seven people arrested on suspicion of planning robberies at the festival.
Some 330 people have been banned from attending the festival as part of their bail conditions for those arrested on suspicion of other offences.
Official estimates suggest the carnival annually contributes almost £400million to the wider economy – but this comes at a cost to taxpayers.
Commander Smart said: ‘The progress by Notting Hill Carnival Ltd in stepping into so many of the event management and crowd safety roles previously performed by the police cannot be understated.
‘They have delivered a challenging event well and in doing so have allowed us to focus our resources on our core role of tackling crime.’
The Met’s policing operation cost £15.7million last year, up from £11.7million in 2023, while City Hall gave organisers an extra £4.6million grant for stewards and CCTV on top of the near-£1m already pledged to support the event.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea estimates its annual clean-up and staffing bill as £1million, of which it sees around £300,000 back in street trader fees.
Some have called for the Carnival to impose an admission fee to help cover costs.
James Ford, a former adviser to Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London, said in City AM last week: ‘If London can’t turn a reasonable profit – or at least cover its costs – on one of the biggest street festivals in the world, then there is something fundamentally wrong here.’
Organisers insist the Carnival is safe and have labelled criticism of it ‘unfair’.
But it has been marred by tragedy in recent years – including the 2024 murder of young mother Cher Maximen – and widespread drug use, with discarded nitrous oxide canisters a common sight on the streets as the clean-up begins.
Ms Maximen, 32, was murdered in front of her three-year-old daughter – one of eight stabbings in and around the festival.
Her killer, Shakeil Thibou, was jailed for life. Thibou lunged at a man with a large knife at the festival and fell into a crowd of people including Ms Maximen. As he swung his blade, he stabbed her in the groin while she was shielding her child.
Chef Mussie Imnetu was also murdered close to the carnival in 2024 by Omar Wilson, who lied to police that he had acted in self defence as he punched and kicked Imnetu in Queensway and delivered kicks to his head.
The Met made more than 500 arrests last year, mostly for drug offences as well as for weapons offences, sex crimes and violence. No fatalities were reported in 2025.
