A WEDDING in Bibury turned violent over the weekend.

Police were called to a bar at The Swan Hotel in Bibury at 7.30pm on Saturday, March 11 after a fight between about 20 people erupted at a wedding party.

Officers were told that one person had been knocked unconscious, furniture was being hurled about and someone had been thrown in the river.

In order to deal with the situation, officers from Cirencester, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucester, Stroud and Swindon were called to the scene.

Police said they arrived at a “volatile situation to find a number of intoxicated people”. Some people had head injuries, and some were uncooperative towards attending officers.

Three men - two local and one from Luton - were treated by paramedics for various injuries, including head wounds and broken teeth.

Four men, aged 21,22, 27 and 55, and a 53-year-old woman, all from Luton in Bedfordshire, were arrested on suspicion of affray, taken to cells, and following interviews the next day, were given police bail.

Andrew Johnston, a Bibury resident who witnessed the aftermath of the incident, however said that he was “amazed” to see the response by police to a disturbance between “a drunken few” and locals at the wedding.

Andrew, a former publican, called the incident a “fracas in the bar”. He said: “I’m surprised about the number of police officers that have arrived for a small incident.”

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Police responded to claims that their response was disproportionate to the situation: “We received a report of a violent incident taking place in a licensed premises. We take such reports seriously.

“Due to the level of violence indicated, and numbers involved, we had to call on resources from around the county, including officers from our armed response and dog units who were not required in their usual roles at the time and were able to assist.

“In order to secure and preserve evidence and investigate this violent incident effectively, it was necessary to arrest and transport to custody five people identified as being involved in the disturbance.”