‘Disgusting’ Rave blamed for piles of rubbish left at M32 underpass
APOPULAR Bristol skate park was left littered with cans and broken bottles after a boozy Bank Holiday weekend.
Shocking footage on social media showed rubbish strewn beneath the M32 in Eastville, reportedly left after a party there on Saturday night.
There appeared to be hundreds of empty alcohol cans and bottles, some partially blocking the skate ramps, as well as a pile of plastic bags next to an overflowing bin.
Lex Rigby posted the video on Twitter on Monday, flagging the “disgusting” state of the underpass with Bristol City Council.
Sharing the footage, Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees agreed and said he would be asking his colleagues to “give this area a focus”.
By Tuesday morning the worst of the litter had been cleared, but members of the community had also taken it upon themselves to help with the rest.
Skateboarder Thomas Duffett brought his own broom to sweep up the mess while Annali Grimes, one of the founders of the M32 Flea Market, joined for a litter pick.
They were there for at least two hours on Tuesday sprucing the space up and making it safe, for the skateboarders as well as for children who often play there during the school holidays.
Annali said it is her understanding that after the flea market ended there on Saturday, there was a “rave” at the skate park.
She explained: “It seems there was a big party on the Saturday night.
“I don’t think the litter is usually that bad – this was extreme.
“After the market we completely clean up after ourselves as do the skaters themselves as they obviously can’t skate on [broken] glass.”
Avon and Somerset Police has not yet confirmed if it received reports of a party.
Last summer the force deployed officers to reports of a large ‘silent disco’ there, although they did not find anything upon arrival.
The underpass next to Stapleton Road is home to a well-used DIY skate park, and also the regular flea market held there since 2017.
Arts organisation LitterARTI set up the market to help revitalise the space and encourage people to use it positively.
Annali said: “Generally since we came into the space, the feedback we’ve got around our involvement has been very positive.
“It’s such an important community event but with nothing else going on it’s got the potential to attract a bit of a party vibe.”
Although the party is understood to have started after the market packed up, Annali said organisers are looking at how they can help to prevent it happening again.
They will especially consider how to “instil self-responsibility and care in the place”, she added.
She said the efforts of those who volunteered to help clean up was an example of how much many people in the community already value the space.
Litter problems can be reported to the council’s street cleaning team via the authority’s website.