'Clown' sparks mass brawl on P&0 cruise ship which leaves six injured

The fight erupted as P&O’s Britannia sailed to Southampton after a week-long trip to Norway’s fjords, police said.

Plates and furniture were reportedly used as weapons during the disturbance, the BBC reported.

Good Morning Britain journalist Richard Gaisford, who was on board during the drama, said he had been told the incident was sparked by a passenger taking offence at another holidaymaker dressed as a clown.

A man and a woman in their 40s have since been arrested by police on suspicion of assault.

Mr Gaisford reported the violence broke out on the 16th floor buffet restaurant in the early hours of Friday morning.

In a Twitter thread, he said staff told him they’d never experienced anything like it and those behind the violence were confined to a cabin for the last day of the cruise.

‘Witnesses told me they were so frightened they had to hide, as family groups fought,’ he tweeted.

He said the violence occurred after a black-tie evening and an afternoon of ‘patriotic’ partying on deck, when large amounts of alcohol were consumed.

The buffet area was immediately sealed off as medical teams went to help the injured.

A P&O Cruises spokesman said: ‘Following an incident on board Britannia on Thursday evening we can confirm that all guests have now disembarked and the matter is now in the hands of the local police.’

Hampshire Police said its officers attended the ship when it docked in Southampton and that investigations are ongoing.

A police spokeswoman said: ‘The incident took place during the early hours of Friday, July 26, on board P&O's Britannia while it was en route to Southampton from Bergen.’

She added three men and three women were assaulted, with their injuries including significant bruising and cuts.

The two people arrested – a 43-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman, both from Chigwell, Essex – are in police custody.