Terrified diners including children crammed into restaurant kitchen to escape terror

Dozens of diners crammed into a restaurant kitchen and were told to stay away from the windows so the terrorists wouldn't know they were there, a survivor revealed.
People lay flowers near London Bridge following Saturday's terrorist attack. Photo: Isabel Infantes/PA WirePeople lay flowers near London Bridge following Saturday's terrorist attack. Photo: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire
People lay flowers near London Bridge following Saturday's terrorist attack. Photo: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire

Elanor Bond, 22, was celebrating a friend's new job when a woman with a slashed throat suddenly stumbled into the Mudlark pub at London Bridge.

Moments later police shouted at her and other drinkers to run for their lives and Elanor and her friends found themselves in the kitchen of Bill's restaurant hiding from the marauding attackers.

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More than 50 diners and families with young children gathered in the kitchen and were ordered to stay away from the windows so the terrorists did not know they were inside.

Elanor, a management consultant, of Crystal Palace, south east London, said: "I was celebrating a friend's new job and a woman who was in her 20s came in bleeding from her neck, she fell into the first table in the pub.

"It was like her throat had been cut, she came in at about 10.10pm.

"It became quite clear that there were two women who had received similar injuries and the pub quickly became evacuated.

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"We were told by police to run away and we took refuge in Bill's at Borough Market.

"On the way my boyfriend saw a man having CPR performed on him, it was horrible.

"In Bill's they told us to go into the kitchens and not to be seen through the windows.

"Everyone was so resilient, we were in Bill's for about 45 minutes, it was absolutely packed there were in excess of 50 people.

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"The people were astonishing. There were two young girls who showed such courage and maturity beyond their years.

"The staff were relaying back what the police were telling them and making sure that people could not be seen and that everyone was quiet and calm.

"They were incredibly level headed and supportive.

"It is amazing that people can be like that in times of such crisis."

Another survivor Irene Smith, 32, had been drinking in the Slug and Lettuce when drinkers began crowding round the windows before frantically running for the exits.

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The product designer described the moment she ran for her life from the pub expecting to be shot in the back.

She said: "I didn't know how far they were behind me, we were expecting to be shot in the back or something, it was the unknown.

"It was a frightening experience.

"I just thought follow the instructions and keep running.

"There was a woman next to me crying, the most scary thing was that I did not know what was happening.

"A woman was shouting 'run for your life!'".