Welshpool braced for ‘Mad’ Friday

Welshpool is bracing itself for what is traditionally one of the busiest days of the year in its town centre.

Mad Friday, as it is affectionately known, has become synonymous with Christmas parties and excess drinking and, despite the majority of the town’s factories and businesses open next week, the emergency services expect it to be just as manic.

Dyfed Powys Police’s Communities and Partnerships Sergeant Kelvin Briggs said: “We don’t want to stop the fun but we want to encourage people to be responsible when they're drinking. It’s very easy when you’ve been drinking to forget the usual common sense rules of safety and take risks that you wouldn’t usually take. We want you to have an enjoyable time and hope that you can take some simple steps to keep yourself and your valuables safe.”

Police will be out in force and have sent a clear message that officers will be deployed to stop public order offences from escalating.

Welshpool is expected to be busy in the evening with a huge rock concert planned for the town hall featuring three big local bands.