500-person rave in London shut down by police

An illegal rave in London was shut down by police last weekend.

Following a string of noise complaints, officers were called to an unlicensed music event taking place in Walthamstow Forest on Sunday (9th).

Police arrived at the woodland area, which is in North-East London, at around 12:45AM, where a sound system and lights were set up, as well as around 500 revellers who had attended the gathering.

"Officers attended. Those in attendance were dispersed by 03:19hrs. There were no arrests," a spokesperson for Met Police told The Evening Standard. "UMEs are illegal, have no security, are not insured, are not ticketed and they are frequently associated with anti-social behaviour and violence. Those attending a UME are putting themselves at risk.

"As soon as police receive information on a UME, officers we will work with organisers and local authorities to shut down events at the earliest opportunity.

"If organisers fail to comply, police will use legislation to seize sound systems and laptops. Legislation is also used to disperse crowds and ultimately make arrests if people fail to comply."

There have been more than 500 large unlicensed events in London alone this summer, and police say they are responding to approximately 23 events every day.

Following a surge in illegal events across the UK during the coronavirus lockdown, police were called to an event in Finsbury Park, North London, in July. Metropolitan Police arrived at Woodberry Down estate at approximately 11PM, and remained at the estate for five hours dispersing crowds. Following the arrival of riot police, an 18-year-old man was arrested for violent disorder and obstructing police, and a 19-year-old was arrested for obstructing police.