North Yorkshire Police are at the scene of an ‘illegal rave’ that has had music blaring all night and attracted an estimated 2,000 people.
Six people have been arrested and ‘several vans full of music equipment’ seized following the event at Stillingfleet, between York and Selby.
Officers went to the location following “reports of an ‘illegal rave’ involving loud music, drug use and disorder overnight”.
The unauthorised event, on the site of the old mine, has kept residents awake all night. And organisers told locals that they were due to stay till Tuesday – before police moved in.
One villager wrote on social media: “This started late last night and is huge.
“It’s a proper organised national thing. There are stages, vans, generators, event organisers, you name it.
“There are also up to perhaps a thousand people on site that are off their face, predominantly on drugs.
“I was down there this morning (after it had kept me and my baby up all night) with some neighbours talking to some of them – those that could still stand up that is!
“And the scariest bit was how many were staggering to their cars, starting the ignition and driving off.
“My neighbour nearly got mown down by one of them on the wrong side of the road.”
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A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “Events such as these cause huge distress and disruption to the local community, and also put attendees themselves at risk.
“Significant number of officers are deploying to the scene, including police drone pilots. Any illegal activity identified will be dealt with robustly.”
In a later update, they added: “This afternoon, people suspected of being involved in the organisation of the event were arrested and taken into custody. At this time, six people have been arrested.
“We have also seized several vans full of music equipment, and removed them to a secure location. Our enquiries are ongoing.
“The impact on the local community and the risk to those present due to the derelict nature of the site were clearly unacceptable.
“While this was a challenging incident to deal with – not least because of the sheer volume of people in attendance – we’re extremely grateful to local residents for their patience.”
Police patrols would be increased in the area in the coming days “to provide reassurance to the local community and ensure there is no further disruption”.
Many felt the police response was late. One resident said a single lone officer was sent out this morning after “ten hours of public complaints” about noise and alleged drug drivers driving erratically on the roads.
However, police are now said to be checking drivers as they leave the site to ensure they have not been drinking or using drugs.
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