Boxing Day in Swindon town centre saw running street battles between a gang of youths and Kosovan immigrants, a court heard.

Town magistrates watched a video recording of two groups clashing in Regent Street around 8pm.

The closed circuit television footage showed an exchange of punches, as well as belts being used as weapons.

Five Kosovans deny public order offences. They are: Arben Burgaj, 25, of Leyton, London; Artur Morina, 22, of Acton; and, from Swindon, Enver Cokaj, 37, of County Road; Kujtim Uruci, 28, of Manch-ester Road and Besnik Burgaj, 30, of Clifton Street. All are on unconditional bail.

Swindon men Craig Finlayson, 25, of Meadowcroft, and Shannon Platt, 19, of Penhill, have both pleaded guilty to committing a public order offence Finlayson further admitting criminal damage.

Police were called in after a disturbance was reported and tracked down a group of Kosovan men and detained them in an alleyway off Graham Street, near Manchester Road, said Sergeant Alan Webb of Swindon police.

Magistrates were told that all five Kosovan men denied any wrongdoing. Uruci told police: "I was defending myself."

Cokaj said in interview: "I only tried to defend myself and haven't threatened anybody."

Morina told police that people around Regent Street at the time of the incident may have felt threatened by what had occurred.

But he added: "I felt more threatened than the others because I was the one attacked."

Earlier PC Andrew Taylor, based at Westlea, watched the CCTV footage of the town centre clashes and told the court he had dealings with some of the Swindon men through his three-year involvement in Wiltshire Constabulary's football intelligence unit.

The case continues