50 people arrested after thousands attend illegal rave in Sussex

Thousands of people attended an illegal rave in Steyning, West Sussex on Sunday, leading to more than 50 arrests and massive disruption across the local area.

Police warned at around 8:30AM on Sunday morning that “Multiple road closures are in place and people are asked to avoid the area if possible.” Drone footage captured cars backed up along country roads as closures continued throughout the day.

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One officer was injured in a crash on the scene while another was assaulted when police were met with “hostility on site.” Those who were arrested have been taken into custody for charges such as drug offences, drink driving and theft.

Local farmer James Wright tweeted that the rave had led to “terrified” cattle being released into the area.

He told The Independent: “To make the dancing area bigger they cut the fence down, I don’t think they knew the cows were in there.”

“The thing I want to get across is that even though four-and-a-half thousand people think they’ve had the best of times, there’s a cost to the farmer, to the landowners and an enormous cost to the police and the human cost of how many people have caught COVID.”

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A large amount of music and sound system equipment was confiscated from the scene, leading to the arrest of a further eight people in suspicion of organising the event.

Detective Superintendent Juliet Parker said: “We will not tolerate behaviour like this within Sussex, as can be seen by the high volume of arrests made over the course of the event.

“We will continue to robustly investigate this illegal activity, seeking to further arrest and prosecute wherever possible.”

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Sussex police describe the event as “one of the largest unplanned operations we have experienced in recent years.”

[Via: The Independent]

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter