DOOR staff won praise from police after helping deal with a chaotic crowd of around 50 people, some drunk and some angry, after a traffic accident.

Bouncer Mark Wadham said: “I couldn’t believe it. People were fighting each other to get closer.

“It’s one of the worst things I have seen.”

A 23-year-old man from Bournemouth was trapped under a taxi on Christchurch Road, opposite Walkabout, in Bournemouth town centre.

Security teams tried to lift the car, closed the road with barriers, directed traffic, and helped control the crowd until police reinforcements arrived.

Police Sergeant Richard Bader emailed a ‘thank-you’ to door staff which said: “They assisted us after a young male got trapped underneath a taxi.

“Nearly everyone came on to the road, without being asked, to assist with the injured party or to assist the small numbers of police, who had a large number of people trying to break police lines.

“All were very professional in what could have been extreme circumstances as disorder was starting to break out as tension was starting to mount and tempers were starting to fray.”

The accident happened on Sunday, April 15. Firefighters were called at 2.14am and used air bags to lift the car and free the victim, who suffered broken shoulders and ribs and other injuries.

Mark Wadham, a Securidor employee who works at For Your Eyes Only (FYEO), said: “The man tried to stop himself and slid underneath the taxi.

“His feet were sticking out the front. There were around 50 people at least. Some of them were just drunk idiots trying to get close and they were fighting the police and we were trying to hold them back.”

Jonathan Coppenhall, 41, from Ashley Cross, the general manager at FYEO, said: “Security staff came to help from our club, Bravo, Camel and the taxi marshals too. We were doing crowd control.”

Jerry Smerdon, 40, who also works at FYEO, said: “There were some incidents going on with some people trying to take photos.

“Some people in the crowd were only trying to help but the best thing is to let the professionals deal with it.”

Jon Shipp, Bournemouth Council’s night-time economy manager, said: “Door staff frequently work in support of the police in the town.”

Sergeant Richard Bader said in a statement to the Echo: “I would like to thank members of the public who came to help with this incident. Staff from various establishments nearby came on to the road, without being asked, to assist with the injured party and to help the police officers who were dealing with the incident as well as controlling bystanders.”