Dorset Police finally shut down illegal Easter Sunday rave after 21 hours
Some attendees crossed into nearby military training sites to get to the rave, police say
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An illegal rave with attracted hundreds of people has been broken up by police after around 21 hours.
Dorset Police said it “took some time” to shut the event down due to its scale and having to disperse a “high number of people”.
The force said it was made aware of an unauthorised gathering in the East Lulworth area, believed to have attracted around 1,000 attendees.
Dorset Police said it was first contacted about the event after midnight on Sunday.
Sam de Reya, deputy chief constable, said: “Understandably, we have received a number of calls from concerned and upset residents who have had their sleep disturbed by the noise levels coming from the illegal event.”
He added: “As there are army training sites in the area, those attending the event are potentially putting themselves in danger by crossing these locations. There is also an amber wildfire risk and Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue are providing robust advice to not have open campfires or use BBQs in the open countryside.”
The force has earlier said it was working to end the event on Sunday afternoon, with police having entered the site and telling people to leave.
It confirmed the rave had been broken up in a later statement around 9pm.
DCC de Reya said officers had broken up the event using powers under the Public Order Act.
“Due to the large scale of the event and the inherent impact of dispersing such high number of people, this process took some time,” he said.
“In our operations we always have to balance enforcement activities with the safety of our officers and all those involved. Making sure that a site is cleared without any escalation or moving the risk to our road network is always a difficult process.”
The deputy chief constable thanked the local community “for their patience” while police dealt with the incident.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments