Notting Hill Carnival saw a record 636 arrests this weekend as the number of people detained increased for the fourth consecutive year.
A total of 242 arrests took place at the festival in west London on Sunday and 394 yesterday – with offences ranging from possession of drugs and weapons to assaults, including attacks on emergency workers and sexual offences.
The 636 arrests across the two-day event were up from 528 last year, and 334 the year before that.
Live facial recognition technology resulted in 121 arrests and 86 registered sex offenders being stopped. Seven of the sex offenders were found to be breaching their conditions and were arrested.
Stop and search resulted in 68 weapons, including a handgun, being found. There were two assaults with knives, one stabbing and one slashing, neither of which resulted in life-threatening injuries.
It came as cleaners faced the daunting task of tackling huge mounds of litter overnight after the carnival.
Streets surrounding the festival were pictured full of piles of rubbish consisting of raw chicken carcasses, takeaway boxes, beer cans and cigarette butts.
Cultural icons such as red post boxes were left covered in plastic bags and drinking cans, which had been dumped by revellers over the course of the weekend.
The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea estimates its annual clean-up and staffing bill for the event as £1million, of which it sees around £300,000 back in street trader fees.
Workers tackle the immense clean-up operation in Notting Hill following the carnival
Raw chicken is left for workers to clean up following two days of partying in one of London’s most affluent areas
Iconic cultural icons including red post boxes were left covered in plastic bags and beer bottles
A huge mound of litter is left next to a tree in Notting Hill on Monday night
Rubbish left in Notting Hill after the annual carnival over the weekend
The window of one property was left with dozens of takeaway boxes stacked on its windowsill
Revellers climb on top of a bus stop near Westbourne Park station in west London
Carnival-goers dancing through the streets of Notting Hill yesterday
Notting Hill Carnival attracts millions of people each year over the two days, with partygoers seen climbing on top of bus stops and engaging in racy dancing.
Today, a 38-year-old man will appear in court charged with Grievous Bodily Harm following an incident at Liverpool Street Underground station on Sunday night, in which a 32-year-old man travelling back from the carnival was seriously assaulted.
Jeremiah Maximo, of Barking, will appear at Highbury Magistrates’ Court after being arrested last night and remanded in custody.
The victim remains in a critical condition in hospital while detectives have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
BTP Detective Superintendent Sam Blackburn said: ‘This is a key step in our investigation, which continues to progress at pace.
‘We know the victim was travelling back from Notting Hill Carnival at the time of the incident, and our thoughts remain with him and his family through this difficult time. They are being supported by specialist officers.
‘We are still keen to hear from anyone who saw what happened and has not yet spoken to police. If you were on the Central Line platforms between 10.30pm and 11pm on Sunday and have information, please come forward.’
Yesterday, the Met confirmed a man fleeing police at the carnival died after entering a canal.
The body of a man, thought to be in his 20s, was pulled from the water near a park in North Kensington.
The force had been called out at 3.19pm and attempted to stop the individual. He fled on foot as officers followed behind but entered the water a short time later.
The man was pulled from the water by officers and members of the public and was given CPR. He was taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
It came as million-pound homes and businesses were left surrounded by litter following the festival, with the window of one property left with dozens of takeaway boxes stacked on its sill.
Many residents had already boarded up their properties ahead of the carnage, with photos from last week showing luxury London flats and houses protected by temporary coverings.
The event has caused much controversy over the years, known for becoming violent and bringing mounds of rubbish to the affluent area.
Official estimates suggest the carnival annually contributes almost £400million to the wider economy – but comes at a cost to taxpayers.
A street in Notting Hill in the early hours of this morning, empty except for mounds of rubbish left by partygoers
Litter fills the street in one of London’s most affluent areas this morning
Road lined with rubbish after the carnival waiting for council staff to clean up the debris
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
Thousands of people attended the 60th-anniversary carnival on family day on Sunday
The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea estimates its annual clean-up and staffing bill at £1million
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-£1million already pledged to support the event.
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 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.
Ms Maximen, 32, was murdered in front of her three-year-old daughter – one of eight stabbings in and around the festival that year.
Her killer Shakeil Thibou was jailed for life. Thibou had lunged at a man with a zombie 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.
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 Mr Imnetu in Queensway, which borders Notting Hill, and delivered kicks to his head.
