Police made several arrests at a hundreds-strong illegal rave held in a disused mushroom farm building in Suffolk over the weekend.
According to Suffolk News, officers were alerted to a “large gathering” at industrial premises near Stanton village at around 8.50pm BST on Saturday (October 28).
Suffolk Constabulary found “up to 300 vehicles” surrounding the unlicensed rave. Mixmag reported that the event was believed to be a Halloween gathering after it saw footage online of ravers there dressed up in costumes.
Nine people were arrested in total. Three were on suspicion of causing a public nuisance; two people on suspicion of theft; three on suspicion of excess alcohol whilst driving, and one on suspicion of drug-driving.
A 33-year-old man was charged yesterday (October 30) with theft and will appear in front of Suffolk Magistrates’ Court on December 11 [via the East Anglian Daily Times].
Police told Suffolk News that the illegal rave was monitored overnight and into the morning in the interest of public safety and due its remote location. It also allowed for the event to run so that officers could gather evidence.
Roads around the area, however, were shut to prevent people gaining access to the site.
A lorry was seized after investigation by local police, as well as sound equipment used at the rave. The illegal event was thought to be a halloween party, with footage shared online showing ravers dressed up in costumes.
Detective Superintendent Angus Moir said [via Suffolk News]: “Enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to the event and where we can prevent, disrupt or stop a rave taking place, we will do everything within our power to do this in order to minimise the impact on local communities.”We are talking with the landowner, and I want to thank members of the public for their patience as we worked to bring this event to a safe closure.
“Unlicensed music events like this can cause a considerable amount of disruption, causing widespread damage to the natural environment as well.
“As they don’t have to conform to any safety standards, they also put those who choose to attend at risk. I can assure people that the matter doesn’t finish here, and an investigation continues to investigate what has taken place.”
The news follows eight people being arrested in connection with an illegal rave in Bristol in September.
Avon and Somerset police were called to the event, which took place at a disused warehouse in the Avonmouth area of the city, at around 9.05pm on September 23.
A “significant number” of people, possibly exceeding 2,000 at its peak, were found to be attending the unlicensed event.
Police shut the event down, engaging with those they believed had organised the rave to “bring it to a safe conclusion” while also trying to prevent more people from entering the site.