Locals divided as 2,000-strong illegal rave rages on in Milton Keynes

Residents in Milton Keynes are divided over a 2,000-strong illegal rave went ahead in a nearby woodland at the weekend.

According to The Milton Keynes Citizen, the party began on the evening of Saturday, July 19, and raged on through the night for some 12 hours until the morning of Sunday, July 20.

The unlicensed event took place in Threeshire Wood close to Lavendon, and was shut down by police after the event had concluded on Sunday.

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Speaking to MK Citizen, one attendee said: “It was a good night. We respected the emergency services, including the police – no trouble kicked off.”

“The police were fair and instead of coming in force and shutting it down, they gave a time to pack up by. We cleaned up our rubbish and left peacefully. That's how it should be – respect on all sides.”

They added: “When police turn up in riot gear it can potentially incite a riot. When police turn up as peacekeepers, then the peace is kept. We don’t want trouble or violence, just a good party.”

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The local paper also reported that several noise complaints were made to the police, with some claiming that the sound travelled as far as Northamptonshire. Some complained of hearing “booming” music all through the night.

In defence of partygoers, dozens of locals took to social media to encourage them to “rave on”, with one local writing in the Milton Keynes Community Hub on Facebook: “Awesome – hope everyone had a great time!”

“Free party, free people,” one said. “Bet there was no trouble – rave on”. Another said: “Gutted I missed that. Hope you all had a brilliant time... keep it going”.

[Via The Milton Keynes Citizen]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter