Revellers refuse to leave illegal Welsh rave

At least 400 people remained at the site of an illegal rave in Wales yesterday despite a massive police presence.

A r o u n d 3 , 0 0 0 p e o - ple from all over the UK descended on the site in a disused open cast coal mine in Banwen, close to the B re con Beacons, on Sunday.

Officers from South Wales Police, with the help of Dyfed-powys Police and the British Transport Police, seized multiple sound systems and issued a dispersal order, but many refused to move on.

A police helicopter was also used to monitor the event.

Eight people have now been issued with a court summons, which could see them hit with a fine of up to £10,000 under the Welsh government’s new coronavirus laws.

Others have been issued fixed penalty notices for parking offences, while some have had their cars towed.

Assistant chief con stable David Thor ne, of South Wales Police, said the force had difficulty shifting people from the 4,000 acre site, which is usually used for rally car racing.

“When there’s 3,000 people to enforce a dispersal order on it becomes a massive issue,” he said.