Eight arrested after thousands attend illegal rave at disused warehouse in Avonmouth

Eight people have been arrested after police responded to an illegal rave at a disused warehouse.

Avon and Somerset Police arrived at the scene of the unlicensed music event in Avonmouth at around 9pm on 23 September.

It is understood more than two thousand people attended the event in Burcott Road.

Five people, who are suspected of being involved in organising the event, have been arrested on suspicion of burglary offences and remain in custody.

They are aged between 18 and 30 and all live outside of the force area.

Three other arrests were made during the course of the police operation. Those individuals are not believed to have been involved in organising the event.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: "Overnight officers have been responding to an unlicensed music event in Avonmouth.

"We were first called at 9.05pm last night (23 September) and officers were dispatched to the scene.

"On arrival, they found a significant number of people at the site of a disused warehouse, in Burcott Road, with music and sound equipment being unloaded, as well as more people arriving.

"A policing operation throughout the night has prioritised public safety, conscious of the dangers that having a very large number of people in a confined space can cause.

"Officers have attempted to engage with those seemingly involved in the organising of the event to seek to bring it to a safe conclusion, while also trying to prevent more people entering the building.

"The number of people at the site has reduced significantly, with an estimated 20-30 people remaining, which is a significant reduction on the attendance overnight which was thought to exceed 2,000 people."