Shocking video footage shows the moment "chaos" broke out at Jamie Webster's homecoming show with huge crowds of people crammed into the entrance at M&S Bank Arena.
The ACC Liverpool Group is currently investigating claims of mass overcrowding at Jamie Webster's sold-out gig on Saturday, November 19, after police officers were called to the jam-packed arena amid safety concerns.
Guests reported huge queues and 45-minute waits at the entrance and bar.
READ MORE: M&S Bank Arena investigating overcrowding at Jamie Webster gig
Anna Shaw, 25, who travelled with her dad from the Isle of Man to attend the concert, said: "It was chaos. People were pushing, there was no order. I felt unsafe."
She said she arrived at the waterfront arena at 7.40pm and was immediately faced with a long queue with people pushing in and bypassing security checks. Arena bosses told the ECHO that ticket checking was "rigorous" and "all appropriate checks were made on the night".
She said: "There was no barriers, no security. People were just bunking in the queue. By the time we got in it was 8.30pm. Over 45 minutes in a queue. Luckily people were well behaved, people made sure they didn’t push. They kept people at the entrance and wouldn’t let anyone in as it was too busy. This was then dangerous as people were pushing to get in.
"We didn’t get searched in the search area. My bag never got searched, we then got to a point where there was tickets checks, however there was not enough staff. I had four tickets and just one of them got scanned. The young lad said ‘just forget it, go’. People just walked in without showing tickets. It was becoming very overcrowded and busy at this point and nobody was checking tickets."
After making her way into the venue, she went to the bar, where she reportedly waited another 45 minutes to be served.
She said: "Jamie Webster had started and we were still in a very busy bar area. There was no queue, no order. It was every man for themselves. People pushed, the bar staff were young. There was no one in charge, they didn’t know what to do. I’ve never seen anything like it.
"Once we were finally served, an hour and a half later from when we arrived at the arena, we headed into what was carnage. The place was so overcrowded. A lady turned to me and said ‘I don’t feel safe in here’ and she turned around and left. People were leaving because of the situation. It was awful. The exit was crowded, people had no room. There was no security around, it was just jam-packed.
"The toilets flooded, there was ankle deep water right though the corridor to the toilet. The men's urinal had flooded. It was the worst experience I’ve had."
A spokesman for ACC Liverpool, which runs the Arena, said: "On Saturday night we hosted a sold out Jamie Webster concert at the arena. There were reports of overcrowding at one of the floor bars, however the crowd congestion was resolved and people were dispersed.
"Merseyside Police received a report of concern for safety at the venue just before 9.30pm and attended the venue for a short period whilst our events security dealt with the incident. The event was deemed safe to continue. The process for checking tickets is a rigorous one and we understand all appropriate checks were made on the night.
"The safety of our customers is of the utmost importance; we take any incident seriously and a detailed investigation has already begun. We sincerely apologise to both the artist Jamie, who was playing the biggest show of his life, and to his fans for any aspects of their experience which fell short of their expectations. We wish to thank Jamie and his promoter for their support in removing the encore to ensure the remainder of the show continued to operate safely.
"We are developing some FAQs around specific issues, so we will circulate them when we have finalised them."
A Merseyside police spokesman said: "Officers attended the arena on Saturday night but left shortly after as security at the arena dealt with the incident."
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