Illegal rave in Dorset finally dispersed hours after revellers told to leave

An illegal rave in Dorset has finally been dispersed, hours after police first ordered revellers to leave.

Up to 1,000 people descended on a site near the village of East Lulworth at around half-past midnight on Sunday (April 17).

Residents say they were disturbed throughout the night by loud music and large amounts of traffic.

Police were supported by other emergency services and the Ministry of Defence to help shut down the rave. Officers issued a plea to revellers not to cross military training land in a bid to get to the rave.

Deputy Chief Constable Sam de Reya said: “Throughout the incident we worked in partnership with other public sector and military agencies to achieve the positive resolution.

“Police officers entered the site and directed people to leave the scene of the unlawful gathering using powers under the Public Order Act.”

She added: “Due to the large scale of the event and the inherent impact of dispersing such a high number of people, this process took some time.

“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 force said previously it would be investigating any criminal offences with a view to prosecution.

Anyone with any information is urged to contact police on 101 quoting incident number 1729, or by calling charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.