EIGHT men involved in a 15-minute series of scuffles in Cardigan have admitted affray.

Aberystwyth magistrates heard that a number of fights had broken out during the town centre incident.

The court was told that there had been punches thrown and a series of scuffles, and the men were acting aggressively and shouting abuse at police officers and each other.

Defence solicitors Alan Lewis and Katy Hanson insisted the incident in November last year had resulted in no injuries and had since been cleared up, with no further problems.

The eight men - Rhys Washington Brown, 19, of 7 Blaen Treweryll, Blaenffos; 22-year-old Macally Daniel Evans, of Flat 1, Dragons Wine Bar, 21 High Street; Luke Tristan Daniel Griffiths, 23, of 28 Golwg y Castell; Rhys Michael Jones, 20, of Maes y Felin, 10 Felin Ban; Joshua Kevin Mellor, 18, of 66 Bro Teifi; 20-year-old Iwan Sion Phillips, of Lleine farm, Ferwig; Dafydd Wyn Rotie, 19, of 22 Maes yr Haf; and 26-year-old Steffan Rhys Williams, of Myrtle House, Mill Street, in St Dogmaels - all pleaded guilty to affray on 19 November.

Prosecutor Steve Davies said the men had been out in two separate groups and the trouble was sparked when Rotie had approached a man and pushed him off a stool in Dragons Wine Bar during the early hours.

Members of the other group responded, and the police were eventually called.

Mr Davies said that led to several incidents breaking out in the busy town centre, with a number of minor fights breaking out and the eight men all getting involved in fights, with many swinging punches or acting in an aggressive manner to other men and to police officers trying to calm the situation down.

While Mr Davies said the incident was “significant and ongoing”, he said that no injuries had been reported and no weapons had been used.

Ms Hanson said it was recognised that there had been friction between the two groups in the past, and that things on that night had flared up.

She said: “These boys were out in separate groups and things spiralled out of control.”

Mr Lewis said the incident had not been pre-arranged and that the men were not “rival gangs” who had met up to get involved in a fight.

He said that since the incident, matters had calmed down and the two groups had now made up and there were no issues between them.

He said: “They’ve realised that living in a small town like Cardigan, you have to get on. At it’s worst there are a few punches thrown. There is more gesturing and posturing.”

Sentencing will take place on Monday, 6 August.