UK: Union angry at farm raves – January 2002 Union angry at farm raves
BBC News - Friday, 4 January 2002
Copyright: BBC News
Farm leaders are calling on police to deal more effectively with illegal raves after two farmers were prevented from removing party-goers from their properties. Police arrested an Essex farmer on Boxing Day when he tried to confront ravers who took over his barn for a party.
The National Farmers' Union plans to investigate the incident, after a similar case in Lincolnshire on New Year's Eve in which a farmer was stopped from evicting 70 ravers from his sheds. Police said the 40-year-old Essex farmer, Graeme Stephen, from Great Dunmow, was arrested to prevent a public order disturbance.
'Extraordinary' method
An NFU spokeswoman said: "Where farmers are suffering from illegal raves, or from similar situations, we would urge the police to effectively police these events. "It would seem an extraordinary way to deal with the situation." An Essex Police spokesman said police found up to 70 ravers in the barn at midnight being "confronted verbally by the barn owner".
"After repeated attempts to calm the situation the officer arrested the barn owner for breach of the peace in the interests of public safety, fearing the situation was getting out of hand.," he added. Mr Stephen was taken to a police station and later released without charge. He turned off a generator being used to power the event. The farmer said the ravers had broken through a padlocked gate and the barn locks.
'Incredibly frustrating'
In reply to the NFU criticism Essex Police said: "The act only applies to raves held in the open air, this one was held in a barn. The NFU spokeswoman said: "It is incredibly frustrating and distressing for anyone to have to stand by and watch their property being wrecked with no power to prevent it. Simon Fisher, the NFU policy advisor for Lincolnshire, said the latest incidents had again highlighted the need for police to tackle the issue of rural policing.
Mr Benton is determined to defend his property
He said farmers were concerned that police could not respond to serious incidents in rural areas. An orga-niser of the rave, who did not wish to be named, said: "If the council were to give us a barn out of the way to use we would use it, we would even go as far as to pay for it." The man, who has been organising raves in Essex for five years, said the venue was cleared up when the rave ended at 0900 GMT. He insisted no padlocks had been broken to gain entry.
The police spokesman said the barn was not damaged. Lincolnshire farmer David Benton, 44, said this week he was prepared to use violence to stop people breaking into his property and holding raves. He issued the warning after claiming police stood by and did nothing when 100 ravers took over his sheds and held a loud New Year party.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
UK: The raving reverend – December 2001 The raving reverend
By thisislancashire - Wednesday 19 December 2001
Copyright: thisislancashire
A RAVING reverend joined clubbers for carols with a difference when he went to Heaven to spread the word of God.
Clubbing curate the Rev Philip Chew of St Laurence in Chorley performed a rave version of carol Ding Dong Merrily on High as part of the opening ceremony at the new Heaven and Hell nightclub.
The former rock musician, who was born and brought up in Blackburn, had been invited by contacts in the music business to lead the official unveiling of the new club in Stockport, Cheshire.
And Mr Chew took to his new flock -- some dressed as angels and devils -- with delight, dancing in his dog collar and telling clubbers that Jesus loved a party.
Mr Chew, 39, said: "I did a club version of 'Ding Dong Merrily on High' and we finished with pyrotechnics going off.
"It was quite an anxious time as it was obviously a difficult place to preach the gospel in. I was doing it off the cuff and trying to get the balance right. It seemed to work out alright -- I wasn't lynched and they got into the spirit of it. When I mentioned my faith they all shouted 'Hallelujah' and they all joined in when we did the carol."
Mr Chew, who will take over as vicar of St Stephen's in Burnley in March, is a former member of Blackburn-based band Euro-K who toured throughout the North-West in the early 80s and who were great friends with other Blackburn almost-famous rockers The Stiffs.
He said: "I still write and perform music and the club opening was a great opportunity for me to get to an audience the church might not normally reach."
A spokesman for the Blackburn Diocese said: "This was a fun occasion which Philip used with courage and imagination to share his Christian faith.
"The invitation came from the club and Philip was able to respond appropriately and through the positive response he received was able to show that the Church has both a message to share and a sense of humour with which to share it."
http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/
UK: Notice pulls plug on illegal raves – August 2001 Revellers will carry on raving
By icsurreyonline.co.uk - May 2 2002
Copyright: icsurreyonline.co.uk
YOUNG revellers responsible for all-night raves in the area insist their open-air parties are not causing any harm.
Mike Hitchcock, one of the main organisers of the mass gatherings, said there is never any trouble at the events - two of which have been held in Coldharbour and Ranmore in recent weeks.
"You'd think getting lots of people together with loud music would spell big trouble, but we find the attitude at a rave is a hell of a lot better than in a club or outside the pub on a Friday night.
"Everyone just has fun dancing and there's no aggro at all," he insisted. "People are less drunk than they would be in the pub and most of us just drink water.
"I'd be lying if I said nobody took drugs, but no more than anywhere else. It's not about drugs at all."
As one of a group of around 15 friends behind the raves, Mr Hitchcock said they came about because there is so little for young people to do in Mole Valley.
"We don't hold these parties to disrupt people, we do it to give young people something to do," he stressed. We used to go to clubs in London because there aren't any in the Dorking or Leatherhead area. But then we decided to hold a party in Coldharbour one New Year's Eve and had a great time."
Although initially only small numbers of people were involved, he said about 200 people aged between 17 and 40 now attend each rave.
"We know it's not strictly legal but there's such demand for them. Word gets around pretty quickly." As reported in the Advertiser, police are aware of the raves, but are powerless to stop them if there is no significant disturbance to residents.
Mr Hitchcock, originally from Westcott and now living in Guildford, said the group likes to have contact with the police.
"The majority of people are fine, but if anyone does come along who might cause trouble, we'd prefer the police to be around," he said.
"We tell the police what's going on and negotiate a time for us to finish. They haven't been too tough on us and that's really changed my opinion of them for the better."
Mr Hitchcock confirmed he is planning more raves in the summer months although would not reveal where these might be held.
"We understand people's concerns but we always pick remote locations and clean up after the event. We keep disturbance to a minimum and wouldn't hold a rave on the recreation ground in Dorking for instance, as that would wake up the whole town.
"We don't want to upset people and just hope they can respect what we are trying to do - which is have a good time."
http://icsurreyonline.icnetwork.co.uk/
UK: Raving mad – July 2001 Raving mad
By thisislocallondon - Thursday 12 July 2001
Copyright: thisislocallondon
RAVERS held a two-day dance and drugs party at a disused supermarket in Leytonstone at the weekend
About 2,000 revellers packed into the former Co-op Pioneer store in the High Road after organisers broke into the building and declared it a party zone late on Saturday night.
Residents were left sleepless for two nights as loud music pumped out from the former food hall, which was turned into a massive dance area with DJs and a light show.
The revelling went on until about 8am on Monday. Desperate householders flooded the police with calls but were shocked to be told that nothing could be done about it.
One elderly resident was found wandering around the site on Sunday morning dazed and confused, complaining that she had not slept.
Shortly after, a baptism at neighbouring St John's Church was ruined by the rumble of "industrial" and "garage" music.
Drunken party bingers also targeted a local off-licence and stole more booze after they had run out of supplies and money.
Anger is now focused on the way the Co-operative Group has let the building fall into ruin and failed to secure the site.
When the Guardian confronted the rave organisers, they claimed they were just enjoying themselves.
Dave, 33, who would not give his surname, said: "When we look for buildings for parties we try to keep them away from residential areas. But sometimes you just can't help it and it's nice to party.
"We do these all over the place and people come together for a good time. The police seemed reasonable, although I didn't speak to them. Thanks for having us.
"Two days is not long to put up with it and if people get offended then it is a secondary concern."
Ian, 29, added: "The gate was just open and we walked through into the building. We knew the site was empty."
But Rev Raymond Draper, vicar of St John's Church, is fuming.
He said: "They have no right to deny every person their sleep. They have no right to steal from local shops and intimidate shopkeepers.
"And they have no right to disturb a church going about its normal business of worship and to intimidate a whole community.
"All you could hear through the baptism service was thud, thud, thud. It was like an earthquake."
"The problem has got to a boiling point with anger about the way the Co-op has not done anything about the site and watched the situation get worse and worse. This weekend was the last straw."
Cabinet member for the environment, Cllr Sally Buckley, added: "The situation at the old Pioneer site is quite disgraceful. It is something that local residents and businesses should not have to put up with.
"This weekend-long so-called party is just another anti-social episode and it is really time the Co-op sorted the problem once and for all.
"The Co-op and its agents are responsible for the security of the site and they should be good neighbours and keep the antisocial elements out."
She said that the noise team was called to the site but was unable to act because of the absence of appropriate police support.
A spokesman for the Co-op, Phil Edwards, said: "Since we closed the store down earlier this year we have had security at the premises on a daily basis. Obviously it was a determined effort to get in.
"We will be bricking up the windows and, as of now, got a permanent 24-hour security presence on the site for as long as we consider it necessary.
"It is absolutely not the case that we have let down the community and we have been making efforts to keep the site secure.
"We are planning to redevelop the site and the message to the community is that we don't want it to just stand there and fester."Dave and Ian, organisers of the rave.
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/
UK: Code tackles illegal raves – February 2001 Code tackles illegal raves
By thisislocallondon - Wednesday 21 February 2001
Copyright: thisislocallondon
A new protocol outlining the powers and responsibilities of the police and the council regarding raves was adopted this week.
The code of practise is based on intelligence gathering and a co-ordinated approach between authorities in dealing with and preventing such events.
If a rave is in its early stages, police can take any positive action in order to prevent the event from taking place.
Such action can include seizing sound equipment, blocking the entrances to the site and intensifying stop and search initiatives.
The document says: Where it is felt that such an event is causing, or likely to cause a breach of the peace, Kingston Police will endeavour to act in a robust and positive manner in order to combat serious instances of anti-social behaviour.
The protocol was produced as a result of a 48-hour rave held at Tolworth Court Farm last September which was attended by 2,000 people.
All vulnerable sites, such as open spaces and unoccupied buildings have been identified within the borough.
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/
UK: Organisers vow raves will go on – January 2001 Organisers vow raves will go on
by This is Brigthon and Hove
Copyright: This is Brigthon and Hove
Rave organisers have vowed to continue holding illegal parties despite a crackdown by police. Three events were raided and shut down on New Year's Eve. But one organiser has pledged: "These events will not stop, even with a new intolerance policy from the police."
The two sides may now meet for "dialogue" on the issues. Police raided one rave in Shoreham and two in Hove while 1,000 people were enjoying New Year celebrations.
Superintendent Graham Cox, head of Hove and Shoreham police, said the venues, an underground car park and two factory buildings, were death traps and the Holland disco fire which killed 12 showed the kind of disaster police and other agencies feared. But Adrian Taylor, spokesman for Brighton United Systems which organised the New Year's rave in Fonthill Road, Hove, insisted there were trained first aiders on site and eight operational fire exits.
He said: "I am not sure on what grounds the police stopped this event because it was not by definition an illegal rave. it was in a fully-enclosed space, thus not contravening the 1994 Criminal Justice Act in respect of 'raves'.
"It is a shame, while admittedly some of these type of events do sail close to the wind on safety issues, this one in particular was well thought out and executed. The police, however, where blind to this and ruined the evening for many hundreds of people.
"May I wish all members of Hove and Shoreham police a very happy New Year and hope that one day they will actually start to realise that these events will not stop. The last ten years' experience points that way so perhaps a dialogue should be entered into."
Mr Cox said he would be happy to discuss the issues if the organisers contacted him. But he described the spokesman as "arrogant". He said the organisers were not qualified to decide what was safe or not and, he insisted, the venue was completely unsuitable.
He said: "They broke into a building that was just 20 yards from private homes. "If they want to hold a rave or party then they should do it properly and apply for a public entertainments licence."
http://www.thisisbrightonandhove.co.uk/
UK: MPs call for end to illegal raves after Tolworth TEKNIVAL – November 2000 MPs call for end to illegal raves
By thisislocallondon - Friday 17 November 2000
Copyright: thisislocallondon
Assurances have been sought from the Metropolitan Police that another situation like the three-day illegal rave in Tolworth will not happen.
Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Burstow was inundated with complaints from bleary-eyed residents in Worcester Park and Cheam following the massive outdoor party in September.
Around 3,000 revellers descended on Tolworth Court Farm for the three-day illegal party, where seven sound stages pumped out music so loud it could be heard as far away as Ashtead.
Thousands of sleepless residents jammed council switchboards while police fielded hundreds of calls from people demanding the racket was turned off.
The event drew fierce criticism of the police who chose not to shut the rave down immediately, prompting claims there were not enough officers on duty to deal with the situation a charge hotly denied by the Met.
However, on Tuesday night Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Burstow and his Kingston and Surbiton counterpart Ed Davey met with Home Office minister Charles Clarke to discuss the police response.
The pair were told there would be a review of how police monitor planning of illegal parties on the net.
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/
UK: Will security cameras put an end to illegal raves? – September 2000 Will security cameras put an end to illegal raves?
By thisislocallondon - Thursday 28 September 2000
Copyright: thisislocallondon
Security cameras may be introduced at Tolworth Court Farm following the illegal three-day rave a month ago.
The Kingston cabinet made a raft of proposals last week to prevent a repeat of the event which was attended by 3,000 people and prompted thousands of complaints to the police and the council from local residents.
Among the suggestions was to extend CCTV, planned for Tolworth Broadway, down to the site on Kingston Road and Jubilee Way.
The council has put also submitted planning applications to rebuild and add to large mounds of earth at the front of Tolworth Court farm in response to the illegal rave which happened on the land last month. The mounds are designed to prevent any illegal entry onto the site by travellers or ravers.
It is also going to draw up a 'major incidents plan' to improve communications between the council, police, residents and other agencies in emergencies. A report is being prepared on how existing guidelines to deal with illegal occupation of land by travellers can be revised to cover larger events such as raves.
MP Edward Davey has written to Home Secretary Jack Straw asking to meet him to discuss the policing issues which have arisen from the rave.
Kingston Superintendent Keith Free said: "I am hopeful the team of officers chasing the rave organisers will soon be successful."
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/
UK: Drug fears of all-night raves – November 1996 Drug fears of all-night raves
By thisislancashire - Wednesday 27 November 1996
Copyright: thisislancashire
POLICE are opposing moves by a Darwen nightclub to stage all night "raves" because of fears over drug-taking and drug- dealing.
The owners of Kazy's Bar have applied to Blackburn Council for permission to open all night on Saturdays.
Andy Wright, the Euxton-based owner of the nightspot in Wellington Fold, hopes councillors will give him permission to stay open until 8am on Sunday.
But Blackburn police are making strong objections to the application and have written to the the town hall outlining their concerns.
Inspector Harry Bretherton said in the letter: "From our experience, similar events in the past have attracted large numbers of persons some of whom have a preponderance to take and sell illegal substances.
"This in itself can lead to disorderly behaviour as at similar events of recent times held at King George's Hall." Police pulled the plug on a rave party at the Blackburn hall four years ago at the height of the house craze amid fears of drug taking.
The police are also opposed to the application because they are concerned all night raves will create a lot of disturbance in the area.
Inspector Bretherton added: "These so called 'rave' parties do, by definition, attract large numbers of young persons not only from the locality but also from outlying districts.
"This in itself creates problems in respect of controlling numbers in the premises and the subsequent parking.
"Although Kazy's is situated in the town centre, there is high-density residential property.
"We feel that noise from the event and from persons attending or leaving the party would be unacceptable at such late hours."
The application will be considered at a licensing sub-committee tomorrow.
Any comments from residents and the council's pollution control section will be heard at the meeting.
http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/
UK: Nine O’Clock church relaunches raves – April 1996 Nine O'Clock church relaunches raves
By the daily telegraph - Monday April 8 1996
Copyright: the daily telegraph
THE Nine O'Clock service, the Anglican rave movement that collapsed amid allegations of sexual abuse last summer, is relaunching itself under a new guise today by celebrating its first public service for eight months.
Despite doubts over the wisdom of restarting services so soon after what was one of the Church of England's most damaging scandals, today's ceremony will be presided over by the Archdeacon of Sheffield, the Ven Stephen Lowe.
The congregation will be drawn from the remnants of the Nine O'Clock parish, which broke up after revelations that the Rev Chris Brain, 38, its former leader, had been sexually involved with scores of women.
They have devised a new service
Members are keen to distance themselves from the past. They have devised a new service, though one still based on the experimental forms of worship that have been criticised by traditionalist Anglicans. The parish is also seeking a new name, and a chaplain is expected to be appointed this month.
Two weeks ago, members of the congregation and Mr Lowe held a "releasing ritual" at which they placed their hands on a "grieving stone" as a symbolic way of releasing their bad memories of the Nine O'Clock Service. They then threw brochures, posters and other paraphernalia on to a fire.
Jo Mear, a member for 10 years, said: "When I held the grieving stone, I expressed my anger towards Chris and I felt cleansed by it."
Today's Easter Sunday service will take place in a whitewashed chapel rather than the sports centre, with ambient rave music and lasers favoured by Mr Brain, who resigned as a priest after a Church investigation.
http://www.telelgraph.co.uk/
Is the War on Drugs Turning Into A War on raves? – September 2002 Is the War on Drugs Turning Into A War on Raves?
By MSNBC - Thursday September 5 2002
Copyright: MSNBC
IT’S HARDLY the first time that a particular drug has been associated with a particular type of music. In the 1920s, jazz was associated with marijuana. In the 1960s, rock music was linked with marijuana use and LSD. And in the disco era of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the prevalent drug was cocaine. Still, no one ever tried to pass a law that seemed to target the music more than the drugs. That is, critics say, until now.
During recent Congressional hearings on the drug MDMA, more commonly known as Ecstasy, raves were mentioned time and again as places where the drug was most prevalent. Too often, lawmakers found, parents are unaware that raves-often promoted as alcohol-free dance parties-aren’t always safe places for their children. As the number of news reports of teenagers dying from Ecstasy overdoses continues to grow, some lawmakers decided to act. The result is two bills moving through Congress that aim to hold promoters responsible for drug use at their events.
When word got out about these two proposals, it traveled fast. Washington D.C.-based rave promoters, Buzzlife Productions, leapt right into action and organized an online petition against both bills. In just five days, the group had collected 10,000 signatures. At last count, about 20,000 people had signed it.
Amanda Huie, director of public relations for Buzzlife Productions says she’s all for cracking down on drugs. But these two new proposals, she says, seem more designed to crack down on legal raves than on illegal drugs. Rave organizers such as Huie take issue with lawmakers defining a rave simply as a place to do Ecstasy.
Huie defines a rave simply as a massive dance party held in an environment designed to provide a sensory overload of loud music, pulsing beats and flashing lights. “Take a club and subtract the dress code. Take a concert and add a dance floor. Take a family reunion and remove the baggage, that’s kind of what a rave is,” says Huie.
Perhaps most significantly, raves are the only consistent venues where electronic music fans can go to dance to music spun by the top techno, industrial and house music DJs. This is why First Amendment advocates oppose the bills. They claim that specifically targeting raves will effectively silence the music associated with a dance scene. That, say bill critics such as the American Civil Liberties Union, violates the right to freedom of expression. Huie describes it as “musical genocide as drug control. It’s like going after hip hop as a form of gun control.”
These new proposals, rave promoters and enthusiasts say, expands the war on drugs to a war on raves. Existing drug laws, critics of the bills say, should be more than sufficient to address the problem of drug abuse. The Ecstasy Anti-Proliferation Act, passed in October 2000, for instance, has already strengthened the penalties for dealing in Ecstasy and increased funding for drug education programs. These new proposals, they say, merely threaten legitimate businesses. Lawmakers say that’s not their intent. They say that as long as raves are run by people who aren’t promoting them as places to do drugs, or where drug use will be tolerated, rave organizers have nothing to fear.
TOO MUCH MISINFORMATION?
Are rave enthusiasts over-reacting? The bills’ supporters think so. The first bill is a Senate proposal known as Reducing Americans Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act of 2002 (or the RAVE Act). It aims to close loopholes in the so-called “crack-house law.” The crack house law allows property owners to be prosecuted for any illegal drug use on their property. But the law only applies to ongoing illegal drug activity that occurs inside a building.
In recent years, prosecutors have tried to use the crack house law against rave organizers. But because raves are often held outdoors, and often are one-night only affairs, the law doesn’t apply in all cases. Bill proponents say the RAVE bill would make the crack house law easier for law enforcement to use against rave organizers who promote or condone drug use.
Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Delaware) sponsored the RAVE act. According to Biden’s staff, there’s a lot of misinformation surrounding the Senate proposal. “We’re not trying to take away people’s right to dance,” says Chip Unruh, Sen. Joseph Biden’s deputy press secretary. “We don’t think people should be able to profit from selling drugs to kids.”
The RAVE bill, Biden’s staff says, simply tweaks the existing crack-house law. It is very specific and intended to be used only against property owners whose behavior clearly breaks the drug laws. “We set the bar very high,” says Unruh. “We only go after the worst of the worst.”
The second proposal is a House bill called Clean, Learn, Education, Abolish, Neutralize, and Undermine Production (CLEAN-UP) of Methamphetamines Act of 2002. Sponsored by Congressman Doug Ose (R-California), it would amend the Controlled Substances Act to set penalties for “promoting an entertainment event where the promoter knows that a controlled substance will be used or distributed in violation of specified law.” CLEAN-UP’s critics say the wording is so vague it could cover any event from a rock concert to a campus pep rally.
According to Ose’s press secretary, Yier Shi, its vagueness is intentional. “Our whole objective is to give law enforcement as much authority as possible,” says Shi. “The only people liable when there’s drug use at an event are users and owners of property. We feel there are times when the promoters are just as responsible. We want to give law enforcement the leeway to crack down as much as possible.”
Critics fear the House bill would have a chilling effect on all forms of public entertainment. Both Sen. Biden and Congressman Ose have been hearing from concert promoters in every musical genre. And their staff is fielding a lot of hypothetical questions. For instance, suppose a college promotes a spring break concert. Would knowing that surveys and studies have shown drug abuse to be a problem on campuses across the country make the college liable for any student drug use under these new laws?
“Hopefully law enforcement will use good judgment,” says Shi.
IS GOVERNMENT GOING TOO FAR?
A New Orleans case, however, suggests battlefronts in the war on drugs aren’t always carefully thought out. A New Orleans rave promoter was prosecuted using the “crack-house” act in August 2001. As a result of the case, federal law enforcement banned masks, glow sticks and pacifiers as drug paraphernalia. Law enforcement officers said glow sticks were used to enhance the effects of Ecstasy by dancers and claimed that people on Ecstasy clamp down on the pacifiers to reduce teeth clenching, a side effect of the drug.
On February 4, 2002, U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Porteous struck down that ban. Porteous agreed that government has a legitimate interest in trying to stop illegal drug use. But, he said, the government didn’t have the right to ban obviously legal items just because a few people use them to heighten the effects of an illegal substance.
“When the First Amendment right of Free Speech is violated by the government in the name of the War on Drugs, and when that First Amendment violation is arguably not even helping in the War on Drugs, it is the duty of the courts to enjoin (stop) the government from violating the rights of innocent people,” Porteous said.
Of course, under the proposed laws, providing music is not a criminal act; providing an environment in which illegal drugs are used is. But, as Huie points out, the government can’t keep drugs out of prisons, so what chance do rave promoters, or any concert promoters for that matter, have of making their events entirely drug-free? During the New Orleans rave trial, attorneys for the defense argued that “Knowing that no concert provider can guarantee the complete absence of drugs, the only way to avoid criminal liability would be to cancel electronic music concerts altogether.”
And that is really what those opposed to these bills fear. While lawmakers say it’s not their intent to put a stop to all raves, their proposals may ultimately have that effect. Fearing prosecution if anyone at their events uses drugs, would-be rave promoters may think twice before organizing such events. And property owners may decide not to rent out their land or buildings to accommodate raves. All these fears may be unfounded, but electronic music fans and rave enthusiasts worry that their scene will disappear.
If these now mainstream all-night dance parties are driven back underground, however, there may be other causes for concern. In California, a law passed after a young man died at a rave requires that all raves be run as safely as possible. As a result, most raves offer tight security, onsite emergency medical care, “chill” rooms for cooling off, and water for sale or for free. If the raves move back underground, there’s no guarantee any of these safety considerations will be met.
The House and the Senate will take up both proposals for consideration and action when the full Congress returns from the August recess.
http://www.msnbc.com/
Giant gates bar raves BBC News
Three sets of gates have been put up in an attempt to stop illegal raves on three commons in Somerset.
The gates were installed at a cost of £5,000.
The road entrances to Steart Common, Wall Common, and Catsford Common, near Hinkley Point, are now subject to controlled access.
West Somerset District Council led the campaign for the gates, working in partnership with the Environment Agency and the police.
A council spokesperson said: "These gates will prevent vehicular access to the commons and should therefore resolve the problem by deterring would-be ravegoers."
Union angry at farm raves BBC News - Friday, 4 January, 2002, 17:49 GMT
Farm leaders are calling on police to deal more effectively with illegal raves after two farmers were prevented from removing party-goers from their properties.
Police arrested an Essex farmer on Boxing Day when he tried to confront ravers who took over his barn for a party.
The National Farmers' Union plans to investigate the incident, after a similar case in Lincolnshire on New Year's Eve in which a farmer was stopped from evicting 70 ravers from his sheds.
Police said the 40-year-old Essex farmer, Graeme Stephen, from Great Dunmow, was arrested to prevent a public order disturbance.
'Extraordinary' method
An NFU spokeswoman said: "Where farmers are suffering from illegal raves, or from similar situations, we would urge the police to effectively police these events.
"It would seem an extraordinary way to deal with the situation."
An Essex Police spokesman said police found up to 70 ravers in the barn at midnight being "confronted verbally by the barn owner".
"After repeated attempts to calm the situation the officer arrested the barn owner for breach of the peace in the interests of public safety, fearing the situation was getting out of hand.," he added.
Mr Stephen was taken to a police station and later released without charge.
He turned off a generator being used to power the event.
The farmer said the ravers had broken through a padlocked gate and the barn locks.
'Incredibly frustrating'
In reply to the NFU criticism Essex Police said: "The act only applies to raves held in the open air, this one was held in a barn.
The NFU spokeswoman said: "It is incredibly frustrating and distressing for anyone to have to stand by and watch their property being wrecked with no power to prevent it.
Simon Fisher, the NFU policy advisor for Lincolnshire, said the latest incidents had again highlighted the need for police to tackle the issue of rural policing.
Mr Benton is determined to defend his property
He said farmers were concerned that police could not respond to serious incidents in rural areas.
An organiser of the rave, who did not wish to be named, said: "If the council were to give us a barn out of the way to use we would use it, we would even go as far as to pay for it."
The man, who has been organising raves in Essex for five years, said the venue was cleared up when the rave ended at 0900 GMT.
He insisted no padlocks had been broken to gain entry.
The police spokesman said the barn was not damaged.
Lincolnshire farmer David Benton, 44, said this week he was prepared to use violence to stop people breaking into his property and holding raves.
He issued the warning after claiming police stood by and did nothing when 100 ravers took over his sheds and held a loud New Year party.
Vote to save the face of raves http://thisisbrightonandhove.co.uk/brighton__hove/votes/rave_results.html
This is the local Brighton rag who are now trying to mobilise the locals against raves since the weekend troubles.
The police car damage was not caused by genuine party people, rather it was a bunch of local scallies who come from nearby estates.
Please vote!
