Lloyd mania at Oak Mall
Lisa Hodge • Published 12 Nov 2010 14:00
X FACTOR star Lloyd Daniels' visit to Greenock caused pandemonium yesterday as police were called in to disperse thousands of screaming fans who descended on the Oak Mall.
There were chaotic scenes as the 17-year-old singer arrived in town to switch on the mall's Christmas lights and brought the shopping centre to a stand still.
Hundreds of teenagers packed into the centre of the mall to welcome the Welsh heart-throb to Inverclyde. As he performed a five-song set on the make-shift stage, including his forthcoming single 'Crazy', security guards struggled to keep back the hordes of hysterical fans as they clambered to get close to the star.
But the excited scenes soon turned to chaos as barriers failed to contain the hundreds of frenzied fans who stampeded through the mall to catch a glimpse of their idol after he finished his set.
Flanked by his security, Lloyd was rushed from the back of the stage through the Superdrug store and through a security door - but not before a rush of frantic fans charged at him from every direction.
Despite the chaos, the teenager was in great spirits and seemed delighted he had evoked such a reaction from his Inverclyde fan-base.
He told the Tele: "It's been crazy, but it's great being back in Scotland, especially in the Oak Mall.
"I get a reaction like that most of the time, which is just amazing. I don't know where it comes from but it's exciting and a lot of fun."
Police reinforcements were eventually called to the mall to disperse the crowds and the singer was given a police escort out of the building to ensure his safety after hoards of fans gathered at each of the mall's exits.
They said this morning that an estimated 2,000 people had surged into the shopping centre.
Claire Jefcoate, from the Oak Mall, said: "The police are always really helpful and work with us a lot. We had to call them in because of the phenomenal reaction we've had for Lloyd to get him out of the building safely."
Sergeant David McHardie, of Greenock police, said: "We received a call from security at the Oak Mall at 5pm to ask for help with crowd control due to the excess of people who turned out for the Christmas light switch on and an additional four officers attended the shopping centre."
This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 12 Nov 10
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