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By News Editor Declan Wilkes Tough restrictions have been imposed on the Notting Hill Carnival due to last year's violence. Kensington and Chelsea Council had told organisers to get their act together due to a record number of arrests, 307, double the number of 2007. 11,000 officers tackled the event in a £6 million operation and were attacked, glassed, pelted with missiles and confronted all day with everything from knife wielding hoodlums and drunks to dangerous dogs - noise limits were also breached. While most of the three day August bank holiday event will be unchanged, Monday will close early and be subject to limited floats and noise control. It is the first time such restrictions have been enforced in the Caribbean celebrations 45 year history. Streets cleared by dusk Organisers have been ordered to have the streets cleared and the annual procession of floats over by nightfall. Kensington and Chelsea Council have outlined that floats should pass the judging point on Great Western Road by 6.30pm, when it will close. This will ensure that they will complete the route before dusk - around 9pm. Floats will be forced to turn down the music after noise levels breached the official pain threshold of 140 decibels last year. They will now not be allowed to go over 135 decibels. Finally, council bosses have cut the number of vehicles allowed to attend the parade to ensure an earlier finish time. During the August Bank Holiday festival, vehicles will start at 10am, compared to a 12.50pm starting time in 2007 and 10.45am last year. The number of floats will also be limited to 125. Last year 135 had gone past the judging point by 9pm. Critical report Carnival organisers were told to get their act together and comply with a report on noise and safety earlier in the year - or the event will be scrapped. Funding could be refused and permission to use the streets will be revoked if it does not implement the reports recommendations. Council leader Merrick Cockell said:
"We want to make Carnival 2009 a safer and more enjoyable event and hope the three proposed limits will help us to achieve this.
The sound levels must fall so the emergency services can hear instructions and this is vital if someone needs medical attention or if there is a major incident. Equally, we don't want people left with permanent damage to their hearing. The event must be completed before dark as violence tends to peak at nightfall." Organisers have not yet signed the agreement.
Organisers pre-empt report – "Business as usual"
Organisers moved to pre-empt the report by suggesting changes to this years carnival - with nearly two million people descending on the residential area of West London on the August Bank Holiday, it is the biggest street festival in Europe. Chris Boothman, LNHC’s company secretary, said if trouble kicked off again they would be prepared to stop the event. He also said they would work with police on working out a sound-system decibel limit, floats would start an hour earlier at 9am, more stewards, encourage people to decant their drink into plastic containers and hand out earplugs to revelers. Michael Williams, director of London Notting Hill Carnival Limited, said: "We have had lots of discussions and they are mostly satisfied. It is going to be business as usual."
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