Arrests after 600 hold an illegal rave at farm
NINE people were arrested and four vehicles seized after an illegal rave was broken up by police.
Officers were called to the rave close to La Hogue Farm in Chippenham, at midnight on Saturday after reports that more than 600 ravers had gathered at a large barn.
More than 50 officers from Cambridgeshire and Suffolk moved in to break up the rave after monitoring the revellers until noon on Sunday.
Chris Reeks, who owns the La Hogue shop close to where the rave took place, said: “The music went through the whole night and our shop signs were either vandalised or stolen causing about £500 worth of damage.
“I spoke to the game keeper for the Chippenham estate who said the ravers were everywhere on the estate and the damage was horrendous. He was kept up all through the night.
“We had absolutely no warning the rave was going to take place.
It would not have been so bad if they had not caused damage in the way they did.”
Superintendent Mick Gipp said: “We view raves as a serious infringement of landowners’ rights and we have serious concerns for the safety of those attending and the landowners who try to recover their land.
“We have evidence that drugs had been consumed by a number of people at the event and there was extensive damage to crops.
“Cambridgeshire police will not allow these events to take place and officers will take positive action to stop them.”
Eight men, mostly in their late teens and early 20s, and one woman were arrested for offences including conspiracy to cause a public nuisance, possession of drugs and public order offences.
All the men, including a 62-year-old, were bailed, but the 26-year-old woman, from Hitchin, was remanded in custody.
The seized vehicles contained large amounts of sound equipment used in the rave.
Three acres of crops were damaged and a large amount of litter dropped during the event.
