Police refuse to shut down noisy illegal rave
Residents of a quiet market town were kept awake by an illegal rave after police refused to shut it down over health and safety fears. Families in Frome, Somerset, bombarded police with angry calls as hundreds of partygoers danced to loud music from Saturday night until 9.30am yesterday. Police chiefs admitted they had allowed the event to continue after deciding it would not be “safe and proportionate” to close it down.
RESIDENTS of a quiet market town were kept awake all night by an illegal rave after police refused to shut it down over health and safety fears.
Householders in Frome, Somerset, bombarded local police with angry calls as hundreds of partygoers danced to throbbing house music on Saturday night until 9.30am yesterday.
Police chiefs admitted they had allowed the event to continue after deciding it would not be “safe and proportionate” to shut it down.
The unlicensed party took place at Vallis Vale, on the outskirts of Frome, which has a population of 26,000.
Teresa Bray, one resident, said on Avon and Somerset Police’s Facebook page: “Please can someone do something about the all-night rave going on in Frome? I called it in at 2am and it’s louder than ever. We’ve had no sleep!!!”
Emily Tarbuck added: “Keeping lit- erally an entire town awake all night is quite impressive. As is causing over 400 complaints to the police, shutting a primary road and wasting police manpower and helicopters.
“Perhaps you would like to pay my brothers for the wages they lost today because of your extreme selfishness?”
Kate Charlton, who was awoken at 1.30am, said she was “staggered” police had failed to act.
Police prevented more partygoers from joining the event under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
But officers decided not to use measures that allow them to clear a “gathering on land in the open air of 100 or more persons … at which amplified music is played during the night” that “is likely to cause serious distress to the inhabitants of the locality”.
Ch Supt Ian Smith said police would launch an investigation “to establish the full circumstances and to ensure all criminal offences are pursued”.
He said if a rave has started, “an assessment has to be made whether safe and proportionate action can be taken at that moment”.
“There were a large number of people in attendance and we needed to have the right number of resources in place to make sure they could leave without putting themselves or others at risk,” he said. “We’re aware there has been significant disruption to local residents and we’d like to assure people we were using all available powers to close it down safely.”
He apologised for the disruption, saying the force would be liaising with residents to explain their response.
Officers turned the music off at 9.30am and dispersed the partygoers.
‘Keeping literally an entire town awake all night is impressive, as is causing over 400 complaints’
Spare a thought for the poor people of Frome. For, while the residents of the Somerset town – a haven for artists and artisans – might pride themselves on their laid-back attitude to life, the events of Saturday night got a little out of hand, after seemingly the entire local population was kept awake by an illegal rave that police refused to shut down over health and safety fears. Perhaps the disgruntled locals should have followed the advice of one of their number, who tweeted: “Next time I reckon we should all go along. A few hundred middle-aged people doing dad-dancing should help close it down.” Sound advice, indeed.