Illegal rave organisers to be fined up to £10,000

Illegal rave organisers are set to be fined up to £10,000 as part of the UK Government's latest lockdown-easing plans.

In a press conference last month, prime minister Boris Johnson announced that lockdown restrictions due to be lifted on the 1st August had been postpoined for a fortnight due to a spike in coronavirus cases, meaning that indoor music and theatre performances, pilots of crowds in sports scentres, and wedding receptions of more than 30 people, were not permitted.

While the UK government has announced the lockdown restrictions will ease from today (14th August), clubs and music venues remain closed, and in a bid to stop "unlicensed music events" which have seen a surge during lockdown, the police will be given powers to issue fines of up to £10,000 to organisers of events with crowds larger than 30. 

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 an illegal party earlier this month, a Met Police spokesperson told The Evening Standard that "as soon as police receive information on a UME, officers 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."

In June, over 6,000 people attended two illegal raves which took place at Daisy Nook Country Park in Oldham, and nearby Carrington, in Manchester. A total of three men were stabbed at the Carrington rave, which saw crowds of an estimated 2,000 people. An 18-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries, and two other men aged 25 and 26 were also injured. A 25-year-old has been arrested in relation to the attacks on weapons charges. Police have also announced they are investigating the rape of an 18-year-old woman who attended the Carrington event.