AN eye witness has spoken out about a fight involving two family groups at a cemetery in Cirencester on Father’s Day.

Violence broke out on the morning of Sunday, June 18 by Chesterton Cemetery reportedly between a family travelling in a car, and another travelling in a van.

Three men were arrested on suspicion of affray following reports of a fight involving the use of a baseball bat and other items, police said.

A car was damaged and one man and a woman sustained injuries to the face.

The arrested men, aged 19, 24 and 44, were all related and from Tetbury, according to police. The 24-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon.

The three were released under investigation, while enquiries continue.

No members of the public were threatened.

One witness, who lived near the scene of the incident and who wished to remain anonymous, said he witnessed a later part of the dispute where a car, with two children inside, rammed a van before a physical fight took place.

According to the Chesterton resident, the fight took place at about 10.45am on Father’s Day when a van appeared to be leaving the cemetery and a small hatchback was heading in, one blocking the other.

He said: “Lots of shouting and threats of violence followed, then to my horror, the hatchback reversed at high speed then accelerated and rammed into the front driver’s corner of the van.”

He recalled that the car rammed into the stationary van twice before a woman, who had been outside the car and who appeared to be the partner of the car driver, extracted two young kids out of their car seats.

The car driver, described as large with tattoos and wearing a sleeveless vest, was said to have then gotten out of the car, taken his top off, and “launched himself at one of the occupants of the van”.

The resident said: “They rolled around on the floor exchanging punches and the odd headbutt.

“These guys are utter psychos. I do not know what started it off.

“To be that man and do what he did with kids in his car...

“The police did a great job, before it got any more out of hand, but given it was Father’s Day on a sunny Sunday morning in a cemetery, it was plenty bad enough.”

According to him, there were at least 20 other people witnessing the scene and many of the children who were there at the fight were “crying hysterically”.

Police officers eventually arrived on the scene to break up the fight.