Thousands of people were left disappointed after heading to a city centre fireworks display only to find they had been lured by a social media scam.
Revellers headed to Birmingham’s Centenary Square as they waited for official fireworks that were rumoured to be happening on social media. But West Midlands Police officers patrolling the square had to tell those who made their way down that the event was not happening.
Social media and AI posts gave the impression that a spectacular fireworks display was going ahead but this was false information and fake news. Police and security officers were vastly outnumbered by the sea of people but fortunately there was only small pockets of disruption.
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People were left disappointed as there was no display
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Image:
Alamy Live News.)
When the clock struck midnight, scores of people cheered and one person let a firework off in the crowd while another had a small box but no organised display happened. Birmingham has not held an official fireworks display for a decade.
West Midlands Police said in a statement online: “We’re aware of speculation of a New Year’s Eve fireworks display taking place in Birmingham’s Centenary Square tonight – but we can confirm this is not the case. We don’t want people travelling unnecessarily into the city centre tonight to be left disappointed after discovering the event isn’t taking place.
Rumours had spread on social media that there was an event taking place
(
Image:
Alamy Live News.)
“Thousands of revellers will be coming into Birmingham to enjoy the celebrations at bars and venues across the city and that’s why we will have a large visible presence in the city to ensure celebrations go smoothly.”
Birmingham Superintendent Emlyn Richards said: “There are rumours online that a fireworks display will take place in Centenary Square but there isn’t a planned event this year. We don’t want people travelling into the city to be disappointed when they arrive and discover this is the case.
“There will be thousands of people travelling into the city to enjoy themselves at venues across the city. We will be visible on the streets tonight to ensure everything runs smoothly and people have a wonderful evening.”
Elsewhere fireworks displays around the country had to be cancelled due to the weather. Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations, including street parties and fireworks, were cancelled due to safety concerns. Fireworks displays in Blackpool, Newcastle, Ripon in North Yorkshire, and the Isle of Wight were axed but London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks event went ahead as planned.