Locals slam "fun police" for shutting down 400-strong rave in Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire Police pulled the plug on a 400-strong illegal rave in a local town over the weekend.

Patrolling officers stumbled on a large-scale rave in the early hours of Sunday (March 8), at an industrial site on Burrel Road in St Ives, a small town close to Huntingdon.

Upon inspection at around 1:30AM, police discovered around 400 people inside a warehouse unit. The Cambridgeshire Constabulary reported that dozens of officers entered the premises along with a police dog, placing a dispersal order to prevent anyone else from entering the unit.

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Police then cut the power to the unit and seized sound equipment – a multi-storey soundsystem rigged up inside – before boarding up the premises to stop re-entry.

Three people were arrested on the scene, including a 22-year-old from Doddington who was alleged to have organised the event, as well as an 18-year-old from Stroud and a 26-year-old from Swindon, both on suspicion of violent disorder and drug possession.

Locals were less concerned over the unlicensed event, prompting ravers to "have fun". One commented under a post from police: “Boooooo, always spoiling people’s fun. The fun police, go arrest some real criminals.”

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“Party Poopers. Wish I'd known about it,” another local said. “You're not allowed to have fun unless you're paying tax to do so! No harm caused, just people wanting to let their hair down and have a dance,” said another.

Neighbourhood Inspector Colin Norden said that while raves are “perceived to be unlicensed music events that are harmless fun and victimless crimes”, he argued: “Sadly this isn’t the case.”

“Not only do they serve as an outlet for the supply and use of illegal drugs but they cause significant community disruption and damage," he said. "Illegal raves will not be tolerated and where appropriate any sound equipment onsite will be seized.”

Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Associate Digital Editor, follow her on X