British ‘gypsy’ family will be DEPORTED from New Zealand after locals say they ‘caused destruction across the country, caused mayhem on a flight, tried to cheat restaurants out of money and threatened violence’

A British family are to be deported from New Zealand after locals say they wreaked havoc across the country. 

The tourists faced accusations of trashing a beach, fleeing cafes without paying for their meals, damaging their apartment and allegedly stealing a journalist's phone.  

A young boy in the group also threatened to 'knock the brains out' of a woman who had filmed them littering on a picturesque Auckland beach while the family have also been accused of putting ants and hair in restaurant meals to avoid paying the bill.

Today, a 26-year-old woman connected with the rowdy tourists was arrested and charged with theft in Hamilton, where she is due in court on Wednesday. 

The group maintain they are a 'respectable' family who were 'here to see the Hobbits' - but their plans have been 'f***** up' by the accusations against them. 

Their stint of mayhem across New Zealand led to the group being labelled 'a*******' and 'trash' by the mayor of Auckland, Phil Goff.

In a radio interview, Goff said: 'I've asked the council to follow up because I want to see them loaded with an infringement fine for trashing our country. They shouldn't even be here.' 

Since their arrival at Auckland International Airport, the group's disruptive behaviour now appears to have culminated in a heated stand-off at Burger King in which police were called when they were seen walking through a drive-through.

The tourist family are spoken to by police officers after causing a scene. They left rubbish on the beach and said they planned to return to the UK earlier than expected

One of the accused family members posing for a photo while on holiday. They have received dozens of complaints from locals and businesses across New Zealand since arriving on January 11

One of the members of the group was seen ushering the child away as he threatened Krista Curnow, saying he was going to 'knock your brains out'

One of the females believed to be in the group from England smiles as her picture is taken on a mobile phone in Auckland

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Footage showed a young boy, wearing a wide-brimmed Bunnings Warehouse hat, approach Ms Curnow, telling her: 'I'll knock your brains out'

Staff at the fast food chain said they were causing a nuisance and complaining by asking for free food, while the children were banging coins on machines.  

Six police officers and two immigration officials were on the scene in Hamilton at about 3pm, when they served the family with deportation papers, Stuff reported.  

They remained at the premises before leaving and returning in the afternoon. Staff eventually decided to call police after they walked through the drive-through.

Accusations made against the group include:

• Littering at a beach before a boy threatened to 'knock the brains out' of a woman who challenged them
• Leaving a soiled nappy in a plane's overhead bin and constantly demanding booze on their flight
• Putting ants and hair in their meals in an attempt to get meals for free at numerous different restaurants
• Ordering more than $110 worth of food at a cafe before skipping out on their tab 
• Grabbing a reporter's phone before deleting footage and handing the device back
• Walking through a Burger King's drive-through area, prompting a police call-out 
• Causing extensive damage to an apartment they had stayed in 

A petition calling for their deportation has amassed more than 2,500 signatures online.  

The family, who denied being 'gypsies', earlier said they were going to cut their holiday short after denying the were responsible for the series of incidents - although a report did claim that the father stole a journalist's phone. 

In an interview with the Herald, family member David Johnson said he was stunned by the backlash against them.

He said: 'We did leave a mess and they're saying we're gypsies, we're not gypsies.'

The group, which consists of two brother John and David Johnson, as well as their partners, their children and a mother, named as Eileen Doran, of Liverpool, and father told the New Zealand Herald the issue at the beach had been blown out of proportion and they were a 'respectable family.'   

After the publication tracked them down at a hotel in Hamilton, one of the brothers protested over being filmed and grabbed the phone from the reporter's hand and deleted the footage before handing it back.

The two brothers, who gave their names as John Johnson and David Johnson, said they were being targeted at the beach by people telling them to go back to their country.

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Witness Krista Curnow said the group of about 12 tourists, who spoke with an Irish accent, turned violent when she asked them to clean their mess as they left the beach

David Johnson said his son was hit at the beach by another child and then taunted, which is the reason for his outburst towards being filmed.

'We were sitting there, and a little boy smacked one of the kids. They come over and start calling us loads of names 'go back to Ireland.' We're sitting there having a meal and we're relaxing,' the boy's father David Johnson said.

'One of the guys got very violent to one of my friends and everybody got around us and we had no choice but to get up and leave and there was a mess there, because we couldn't clean it up because we were badly intimidated by a group of people.'

He said they would now cut their trip short by a week and leave the country on Friday and will not get to visit one of their trip highlights.

'We're here to see the Hobbits ... I've been looking at the Hobbits my whole life, since I'm born, that was originally what our plans was but it's all been f***** up now ... I feel very unwelcome here. I feel like an alien invader, I don't feel happy and I'm far from Irish.' 

John Johnson said he no longer felt comfortable in New Zealand. He said: 'I'm no one famous. I'm just a fat kid from England on holiday.' 

He reportedly told the newspaper that he came from a good family, and said his grandfather was the 'tenth richest man in England' 

Establishments across Auckland on New Zealand's North Island have complained the group put ants and hair in their meals in an attempt to get their meals for free and abused staff. 

Three members of the group had breakfast at the Montrose Café and ordered over $110 worth of food before skipping out on their tab.  

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A woman with the group then pulled a hoodie over her head before getting into their white van, slamming the vehicle door into a nearby car as she did so 

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A group of tourists who allegedly left their trash all over a beachside park, threatened locals, and caused chaos on a flight have now been accused of not paying for meals at two restaurants and a café 

Benjamin Salt, the restaurant manager, said that the group was continuously ordering items to keep staff busy and were rude to the other customers.

'They asked me for the total bill. I told them it was $114 and I had to repeat myself a few times before all of a sudden one of them said "have a look at this, there is a hair in my food",' he told the New Zealand Herald.

'We were pretty sceptical but the chef came out to the table to apologise and we were going to take the item off their bill and then one shoved their food into me and when I went back to get rid of the plate they ran out the door.'

The group had been accused of attempting to scam two other restaurants by refusing to pay for food at Mr India and The Backyard Bar & Restaurant in Northcote.

Roger Van Kempen, the manager of The Backyard Bar & Restaurant, said some of the tourists bought food at the establishment and then put ants in the food to try and avoid paying their bill.

A coffee shop in inner Auckland also accused the group of refusing to pay for chocolate cake and then yelling at staff.

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The establishments where the group of British tourists have reportedly had complaints about their behaviour 

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Pictured: Rubbish left behind by a group of tourists at a popular beach in Auckland 

When the New Zealand Herald tracked down some of the travellers when they checked out of their budget hotel on Monday they were told there would be trouble if they were photographed.

A woman with the group then pulled a hoodie over her head before getting into their white van, slamming the vehicle door into a nearby car as she did so. 

The tourists also allegedly caused havoc on their flight into the country. 

Among the carnage were reportedly demands for large seats, continuous requests for alcohol and a dirty nappy left in an overhead bin. 

One passenger on the Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Auckland on Friday told the New Zealand Herald the family made the journey the 'worst flight' of his life.

Before the flight departed, both children gallivanted around the plane's aisles and a daughter allegedly yelled at her mother who demanded food from staff, the passenger claimed.  

The British tourists who trashed and threatened locals on a New Zealand beach also allegedly caused havoc on their flight into the country. Here they are pictured leaving the scene after allegedly littering 

Ms Curnow said she and her friends cleaned up the tourists' mess with the help of other beachgoers

When others realised the family-of-six had apparently left a soiled piece of clothing in their hand luggage, the fellow passenger reached the end of his tether. 

'The parents also asked for different seats because they are overweight and didn't have enough space, even insisting the attendant ask another couple with the only free seat on the plane to switch with them,' he said.  

'They would lean against us often with an armpit on my head or an entire arm blocking the movie I attempted to watch. I was already boiling at this point, so asked the attendants if we could move. 

'After leaving the plane they even left one of her [their baby's] suits in the overhead that we think had actual poop left in it, because it smelt like death.'

As the plane descended the passenger said the young girl ignored the seatbelt sign and attempted to stand.  

Days later the supposed same group were filmed leaving beer bottles and rubbish on a busy beach, before a child threatened to 'knock the brains out' of locals who confronted them in now-viral footage.  

The incident, which unfolded at Auckland's Takapuna Beach on New Zealand's North Island on Sunday, was captured on camera by Krista Curnow.

She said the group of about 12 tourists, who spoke with an Irish accent, turned violent when she asked them to clean their mess as they left the beach. 

'Their response was basically if we have a problem then we can pick it up and that that's what the council is for,' Ms Curnow said. 

'I approached the family to ask again if they could not disrespect our country while visiting and pick up their rubbish.  

'They turned violent and even grandma and the child got involved saying they wanted to punch my head in.'

Footage showed a young boy, wearing a wide-brimmed Bunnings Warehouse hat, approach Ms Curnow, telling her: 'I'll knock your brains out'. 

'The mouth on that young boy - absolutely disgusting! What kind of role models are the parents allowing this sort of behaviour,' Ms Curnow said. 

'We live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, how dare people come to NZ and disrespect our country, this is our home.' 

The family later ordered food at a nearby Nandos store, before demanding a refund, The New Zealand Herald reported. 

Another local claimed they confronted the family at a Bunnings Warehouse after seeing the video online. 

'We just came across him in Bunnings Hillsborough... he was wearing the same clothes,' the woman wrote on Facebook. 

'He's absolutely sh***ing himself after getting a bit of a talking to from my partner about respecting our country.' 

Footage of the incident has since gone viral and has garnered thousands of comments.   

'My big fat gypsy holiday! Imagine having to sit next to them on a 12-hour flight. Horrendous! Glad you said something,' one wrote. 

'What did I just watch? That little boy thought he was so tough,' another noted.

Ms Curnow said she and her friends cleaned up the tourists' mess, with the help of other beachgoers.

'I loved how everyone else on the beach came to support and we all picked up the rubbish together! Love NZ,' she said. 

Inspector Kevin McNaughton, Acting Area Commander of Waitemata East Police, told Daily Mail Australia the incident was being investigated.   

'Police will be speaking with those involved and will be referring them to Auckland Council with regard to their behaviour around the littering of rubbish,' he said. 

'Police would like to remind the public that offenders caught illegally dumping rubbish may be issued with a fine of up to $400. 

'Serious offenders may also be prosecuted under the Litter Act 1979 with a maximum penalty of $30,000. 

'We pride ourselves in our clean, green image as a country and thank the members of the public who reported this behaviour on this occasion.'