Illegal rave at Yate warehouse cost police £64K
It has been revealed that it cost Avon and Somerset Constabulary £64,000 to police an illegal rave in Yate near Bristol.
The Halloween party on 31 October lasted 17 hours and attracted up to 700 people to a disused warehouse in breach of coronavirus regulations.
Officers first attended the warehouse on Millbrook Road at 10.30pm on Saturday, 31 October and had cleared the building at 3.10pm on Sunday, 1 November.
Andy Roebuck, chair of the Avon and Somerset Police Federation, Tweeted the figure:
In his Tweet, Andy Roebuck said: "Such actions by people attending increased the spread of Covid-19.
"It also meant we couldn’t attend many other demanding incidents. Selfish and idiotic acts bring consequences."
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Police closed off roads and prevented approximately 250-300 people attending the event, although 500-700 people had managed to gain access to the premises. Bottles and other items were also thrown at officers but thankfully none of them were seriously injured.
There is a lot of bodycam footage showing what happened and how officers dealt with what the force describes as "an extremely hostile situation".
Two men, one in his 20s and one in his 30s, have each been fined £10,000 following the unlicensed music event. So far, 12 people have been arrested.
Det Supt Lisa Simpson says, "We hope the issuing of two £10,000 fines, which is the maximum amount allowed under the Covid-19 legislation, acts as a warning to others who may foolishly contemplate organising a large-scale unauthorised event when everyone else is facing up to a perilous public health situation and trying to protect the NHS.”
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