Southsea shopkeeper left to scrub blood-spattered path after man hit by car outside pub

The grim sight remained this morning after a dramatic incident unfolded outside The Marmion pub, Marmion Road, at about 10.45pm on Sunday.

Police confirmed a 37-year-old man who was hit by a Fiat Punto was taken to hospital with head and arm injuries, but has since been discharged.

Steve White, owner of the Ron White greengrocer in Marmion Road, told The News: ‘We didn’t see the incident but my sister had to clean some blood up from outside the front when we opened at about 9am.’

Footage seen by The News showed the crash occurred after a brawl outside the pub involving at least four people.

One segment saw a woman being pushed over and kicked on the ground, before a man hit a parked silver Mercedes with what appeared to be a metal bar.

One of the men involved could then be heard shouting ‘that’s my motor’ before the crash occurred minutes later.

An witness who asked to remain anonymous said the incident was ‘one of the most aggressive’ they had ever seen.

‘You hear a lot of fights spilling out from that pub into the street but they never escalate to this extreme – this was a new level,’ the 26-year-old said.

‘There were traffic cones, sandbags, road signs and pieces of roadwork equipment being thrown about from where the path outside the pub was cordoned off for social distancing.

‘Sandbags were being thrown at cars and people were using what looked like iron bars to smash each other’s car windows in.

MORE HERE: Father pays tribute to Emily Lewis, 15, who died in Solent RIB crash

‘There were punches, kicks and people were being shoved to the ground. The bars were swung at people at one point as well.

‘It was easily the most brutal thing I’ve seen.’

The Marmion was supposed to open at midday today but stayed closed into the afternoon ‘because of the incident’, a pub spokeswoman said on the phone.

Hampshire Constabulary said a 36-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and criminal damage. He is in custody.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

Thank you for reading this story. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on our advertisers and thus our revenues.

The News is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism. You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news and information online.

Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism and campaign on your behalf for our city.