It was supposed to be a day of joy and celebration.

But the elation of Liverpool’s Premier League trophy parade on Monday came to an abrupt and devastating halt when a car crashed into crowds lining the city’s streets.

Moments after the bus containing Reds heroes went past Water Street, babies’ prams were thrown into the air and fans wearing the iconic Liverpool shirt found themselves trapped under the wheels of a Ford Galaxy.

Paul Doyle, 53, has appeared in court charged with multiple offences, including causing grievous bodily harm with intent and dangerous driving.

He has also been charged with injuring or attempting to injure six people –
including two children.

In the aftermath, Metro has been in Liverpool talking to the community on how they’re trying to recover from Monday’s scenes.

But if there’s one community that has the spirit needed to recover, it’s the city of Liverpool.

‘It doesn’t matter who you are, people come together’

‘No one knows how to do it like us,’ Charlie Azzopardi told Metro. ‘I don’t know anywhere else in the country that comes together like we do.’

Charlie is a survivor of the Hillsborough disaster which claimed the lives of 97 people in a crowd crush at a Liverpool FC match.

He said Monday’s crash took him ‘right back’ to the moment he saw the Hillsborough crowd becoming fatally out of control.

‘I was with my granddaughters, and I was so scared there was going to be a Hillsborough scale disaster, so we left just minutes before the crash,’ he said.

But once back home and working behind the bar at Coopers Townhouse in the heart of the city, an impromptu decision to raise money for the young victims of the crash saw £200 raised for Alder Hey Hospital.

Charlie said: ‘When something bad happens in Liverpool, it doesn’t matter who you are, people come together.

‘We still have that Hillsborough spirit of looking after each other.’

‘Heroes’ helped shelter children

Just metres from the site of the crash, Indian restaurant Mowgli became the triage centre for those injured.

Although the restaurant itself has declined to be interviewed, Metro has heard from a number of people at the scene how they rushed to look after people as panic took hold around them.

One mum, who wanted to remain anonymous to protect her 14-year-old child’s identity, told Metro: ‘My daughter was in the middle of eating when suddenly the staff politely informed them no bill was to be paid.

‘They thought it was a car accident, but at that point there were rumours of a terror attack and I panicked.

‘It was a small thing, but staff helped them remain calm and put their safety first.’

People started ‘singing again’

Over at Liverpool’s iconic Mathew Street – where tourists flock to drink at the Beatle’s themed bars and soak up live music – it took just hours for people to ‘start singing again’.

After the crash, the atmosphere ‘instantly dipped’, but business owners knew how quickly the community would bounce back.

Kiera told Metro: ‘This area was near the last stop, and soon enough we had people running in telling us about it.

‘A dad came in with his two young kids crying by his side – they had witnessed the whole thing. It was very sad.’

But she said it wasn’t long until people were ‘singing again’.

‘It is quiet for a Tuesday night but I can imagine people are just hungover,’ she said.

‘Nothing will change this street, the atmosphere will always be what it is.’ 

Owen, bar worker at King John, told Metro: ‘It’s quiet tonight, but I don’t think because of the crash.

‘The atmosphere has been good on Mathew Street – always is.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Paul Doyle, 53, from the West Derby area of the city, faces charges including dangerous driving and GBH.

A man has been charged after a car drove into a crowd of jubilant football fans in Liverpool.

Paul Doyle, 53, has been charged with dangerous driving, grievous bodily harm with intent and wounding with intent.

He is accused of ploughing through dozens of people in Water Street who were celebrating Liverpool’s Premier League win on Monday evening.

Doyle, from West Derby in Liverpool, is due to appear in Liverpool Magistrates Court tomorrow.

According to The Times, Doyle is an IT professional and former Royal Marine.

At least 79 people were injured in the crash, with police stating the youngest person injured was nine-years-old.

Seven people remain in hospital this afternoon and they are in a stable condition. Everyone who was injured in the crash is understood to be British.

During a press conference this afternoon, Merseyside Police assistant chief constable Jenny Sims said: ‘As always, our thoughts remain with all of those injured and affected by this appalling incident, which took place during the Liverpool Football Club parade on Monday.

‘As you have heard from our CPS colleagues, the man arrested by Merseyside Police following the incident on Water Street has now been charged with seven serious offences.’

She said the full list of charges were two counts of unlawful and malicious wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, two counts of causing unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, two counts of attempted, unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He has also been charged with one count of dangerous driving, contrary to section two of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

Ms Sims added: ‘I fully understand how this incident has left us all shocked and saddened, and I know many will continue to have concerns and questions.

‘Our detectives are working tirelessly, with diligence and professionalism to seek the answer to all of those questions. When we are able to we will provide further information.’

Police previously said the car, which struck the Liverpool fans, followed an ambulance crew which had been let into Water Street to help treat someone who had a heart attack.

They added road closures were in places on Dale Street – which leads into Water Street – between North John Street and Exchange Street.

Several fundraisers have been set up for those who were injured in the attack.

A fundraising campaign set up for those affected has raised more than £30,000, including a £10,000 donation from the Jamie Carragher 23 Foundation, the former Liverpool player’s charity.

The Liverpool Spirit Appeal was set up by the Community Foundation for Merseyside, in partnership with Liverpool City Council, and Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services (LCVS), and money raised will be distributed to those experiencing physical or psychological injuries as a result of the incident, as well as to community organisations.

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.

A survivor of the Hillsborough disaster who was at the Liverpool parade with his grandchildren said the crash said ‘took him back’ to the moment of the fatal crush.

Charlie Azzopardi was only 15-years-old when he and his brothers were at the Liverpool FC vs Nottingham Forest match at Hillsborough Stadium in 1984.

Now 51, Charlie said watching the terrified faces of Liverpool supporters reminded him of the crowd crush which killed 97 people.

He told Metro: ‘Seeing all the worried faces of people wondering if their loved ones were okay took me right back to the day of the crush.

‘When my brothers are I were reunited at the station, we all swooped each other into a big hug, so thankful we were all okay – we didn’t have mobiles to say we were alright.’

Charlie said he noticed the crowd at the parade becoming more packed and rowdy, prompting him to leave with his two granddaughters minutes before the crash.

A total of 79 people were injured, with reports of babies in prams being thrown into the air and supporters becoming trapped under wheels of the car.

A 53-year-old man from West Derby, Liverpool, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and unfit driving through drugs.

‘I keep thinking, “what if I didn’t move with my grandkids when I did?”,’ Charlie said.

‘There’s so many “what ifs”, but I am just so glad we are all okay.’

Bar Coopers Townhouse, which is in the heart of Liverpool and where Charlie is assistant manager, raised £200 in just 10 minutes for Alder Hey children’s hospital.

Charlie said: ‘When something bad happens in Liverpool, it doesn’t matter who you are, people come together.

‘We still have that Hillsborough spirit of looking after each other.’

After learning the youngest victim was just nine-years-old, staff and customers began an impromptu auction to raise funds.

Steve Keegan, who helps run the family owned pub, said: ‘We were all just sat round talking about how sad it was for the young kids for such a special day to end like it did.

‘When customers started offering to buy random stuff from us so we can donate the money.

‘Someone gave us £50 for an old hat! We know it’s not much but it’s what we can do.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

‘I’m even scared to walk down the street.’

‘She first realised when she saw it was her car on the telly.’

The joke has been branded ‘horrific’.

Seven people remain in hospital after a car ploughed though football fans injuring 79 people at a victory parade in Liverpool.

Newly surfaced footage shows police dragging the Liverpool driver from his car moments after he tore into the crowd celebrating the 20th Premier League title.

The 53-year-old is accused to have been under the influence of drugs when he crashed his vehicle through the parade, wounding 65 people, including four children.

Fans were seen being catapulted into the air, with some trapped under the wheels of the grey Ford Galaxy.

Screams filled the air as bystanders scrambled to help the victims, while others shouted for emergency services.

In the video, police were seen swarming the vehicle and dragging the man out.

The suspect is said to have tailgated an ambulance racing to a person who was suffering a heart attack before unleashing horror on the city’s streets.

Assistant chief constable Jenny Sims said: ‘It is believed the driver of the Ford Galaxy car involved in this incident was able to follow an ambulance onto Water Street after the road block was temporarily lifted so that the ambulance crew could attend to a member of the public who was having a heart attack.’

She added: ‘There was no intelligence to suggest an incident of this nature would take place.’

Detective chief superintendent Karen Jaundrill said there was a total of 65 confirmed casualties following the incident.

More than 50 people, including children, were treated in different hospitals and 11 people remained there on Tuesday in a stable condition.

Another video shared with Metro exclusively showed the man – identified as a white British male only – driving into the crowd ‘deliberately’.

Radoslav Stamboliev, who filmed the clip, said he thought the driver was ‘coming straight for us deliberately, completely straight faced’ and said there were children ‘everywhere’.

On Tuesday, a Liverpool fan described how he ‘locked eyes’ with the driver and ‘pleaded for him to stop’ moments before the car crashed into him.

Jack Trotter was enjoying celebrating his team’s success when he found himself ‘face to face’ with the vehicle.

The stricken Northern Irishman was helped by fellow fans and locals into a nearby pub until emergency services arrived to take him to hospital.

The 22-year-old escaped without serious injury and has been discharged from hospital.

He said: ‘He had slowed down. And then I put my hands up and pleaded for him to stop, and he wasn’t stopping.’

Asked about his injuries, Jack said: ‘My legs aren’t broken, which is good. It’s just my left leg where it was hit is just a good bit tender.

‘My back’s got slipped disks. I just recovered from a back injury… It’s just brought it back, but 10 times worse.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Moments after a car tore into fans celebrating Liverpool’s 20th Premier League title, social media flooded with false claims that the driver was a Muslim man.

Almost 50 people, including four children, were wounded, with some even trapped under the vehicle as the horror unfolded.

As emergency services responded on the ground, a different narrative was taking hold online.

Anonymous accounts quickly fuelled speculation, deploying fake images, misleading captions and claims backed by no evidence to push an Islamophobic narrative.

But Merseyside Police were quick to put an end to online misinformation spreading in a move described as ‘unprecedented’.

Police moves fast to shut down rumours after Southport attack

Learning from past mistakes, Merseyside Police moved to shut down the rumours.

Within two hours, they confirmed that a white male, aged 53, was arrested and that the incident was not being treated as terrorism.

In July last year, Merseyside Police faced criticism for the lack of information released in the wake of the murders of three girls in Southport.

Peter Williams, lecturer in policing at Liverpool John Moores University, described it as a ‘complete step change’ in how the force is managing the public discourse.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the quicker response was very different to what happened after the Southport terror attack in July 2024.

He said: It has been a shift, because, particularly in relation to the aftermath of Southport…

‘There was a lot of criticism focused at Merseyside Police and of course the CPS, in relation to how the management of information was sort of dealt with.

‘But also, if listeners cast their mind back further, is the investigation into Nicola Bulley as how the management of the information was responded to on that occasion. That led to a College of Policing inquiry.’

He said one of the recommendations made after the Southport attack was to prevent any ‘vacuums’ of information in future incidents, particularly ifthere is harmful online content.

Mr Williams continued: ‘It was no surprise to me last night that within an hour or so, we got a statement to say what had happened and that somebody, a male, had been detained. Later on, there was a press conference led by the Assistant Chief Constable, where she shared a lot more information.’

Former Metropolitan Police chief superintendent, Dal Babu, said it was ‘unprecedented’ that the police ‘very quickly’ gave the ethnicity and race of the suspect.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘What we do have, which is unprecedented, is the police very quickly giving the ethnicity and the race of the person who was driving the vehicle… and it was Merseyside Police who didn’t give that information with the Southport horrific murders of those three girls, and the rumours were that it was an asylum seeker who arrived on a boat and it was a Muslim extremist and that wasn’t the case.

‘So I think what the police have done very, very quickly, and I’ve never known a case like this before where they’ve given the ethnicity and the race of the individual who was involved in it, so I think that was to dampen down some of the speculation from the far-right that sort of continues on X even as we speak that this was a Muslim extremist and there’s a conspiracy theory.’

Police call for end of spread of misinformation online

Merseyside Police assistant chief constable Jenny Sims stressed that it is ‘vital’ that people do not speculate or spread misinformation online.

During last night’s press conference, she said: ‘I know that people will understandably be concerned by what has happened tonight.

‘What I can tell you is that we believe this to be an isolated incident, and we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to it. The incident is not being treated as terrorism.’

Alison McGovern, MP for Birkenhead, also called on members of public not to speculate following the ‘really awful’ incident.

She felt ‘so devastated’ after spending four hours at the Liverpool’s Premier League victory parade.

Asked about how important the police announcement of an arrest was, the Labour MP said: ‘The police gave out some very clear messages yesterday, not least that if people have got footage or anything that might be useful to them, then please, please give it to Merseyside Police and do not speculate on the internet or share things like that.

‘In Merseyside, the police have been through quite a lot in recent times and they’ are very, very capable, and I would ask people to listen to them and to do as they’ve asked.’

Disinformation spreads about attacker’s identity

It did not take long after the attack for disinformation to spread on social media, suggesting that the suspect is a Muslim man.

Pictures of a man present at the parade were circulated online, identifying him by name, and claiming that he was behind the wheel of the car.

But the man was later seen in the crowd, celebrating with other Liverpool fans.

One account on X, authenticated by the app as a ‘parody account’, asked if the driver was ‘a Ukrainian or a Muslim’, claiming it is ‘always one or the other’.

‘Either a “refugee” from a Nato-fuelled war zone or another radical jihadist let in under Britain’s open border suicide pact,’ the post added.

Others even suggested that Merseyside Police is purposely misleading the public that the suspect is a white man.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

The victims who were left seriously injured after a car crashed into a crowd of Liverpool fans yesterday evening remain ‘very ill in hospital’, the city’s mayor has said.

Dozens of people, including two children, were taken to hospital last night after the ‘horror’ incident in Water Street, where 800,000 fans had gathered to celebrate the Premier League team’s trophy parade.

In an update this morning, Liverpool City Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said four members of the crowd were ‘very, very ill in hospital’.

‘We are hoping of course that they pull through very, very quickly,’ he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

The driver, a 53-year-old white British man, was arrested at the scene.

Merseyside Police said the ‘isolated’ incident was not being treated as terrorism.

The Prime Minister said he had spoken to Mr Rotheram about the incident, adding: ‘Everyone, especially children, should be able to celebrate their heroes without this horror.’

Footage from the scene appears to show how angry fans responded after a white British man, 53, was detained at the scene.

Natasha Hamilton sent her prayers to all those who have been affected (Picture: Roberto Ricciuti)

Natasha Hamilton has revealed how her father and nephew narrowly avoided being caught up in the incident, which saw a car driven through the …

A man has been arrested after a car ploughed into crowds of fans during the team’s Premier League victory parade.

A man has been arrested after a car ploughed into crowds of fans during the team’s Premier League victory parade.

Around 50 people have been injured after a car ploughed into crowds of fans celebrating their Premier League victory.

Around 50 people have been injured after a car ploughed into crowds of fans celebrating their Premier League victory.

‘Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident.’

‘Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident.’

A man has been detained after a car ‘rammed through’ a crowd of Liverpool fans during the club’s Premier League trophy parade.

A large emergency service presence has been sent to Liverpool city centre following reports that a car drove through a crowd of supporters who were celebrating the club’s title win.

Several fans said the car had ‘rammed through’ the crowd, with others claiming the driver was pulled out and attacked before being detained by police.

Merseyside Police said in a statement: ‘We are currently dealing with reports of a road traffic collision in Liverpool city centre.

‘We were contacted at just after 6pm today, Monday 26 May, following reports a car had been in collision with a number of pedestrians on Water Street.

‘The car stopped at the scene and a male has been detained. Emergency services are currently on the scene. We will issue more updates as we have them.’

The North West Ambulance Service added: ‘We are currently assessing the situation and working with other members of the emergency services.

‘Our priority is to ensure people receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible.’

BBC journalist Warren Moran, at the scene, said: ‘I have seen what appears to be at least three injured people being taken away.

‘The North West Air Ambulance has just landed at the scene.

‘There is a large police presence and first responders are attending to the scene.’

Liverpool held a Premier League trophy presentation in the city on Monday afternoon after clinching their 20th English league title.

More to follow..

He died nine days ago.

The pop star asked the crowd if he should leave.

Data shows more travellers are swapping Mallorca for North Macedonia and Alicante for the Albanian Riviera, seemingly inspired by a Gen Z-driven TikTok trend for ‘destination dupes’.

The gangland drama on BBC has received rave reviews.

A handy loophole for commuters.