Vigilance call on illegal raves
Farmers in Wales are on the lookout this weekend for early warning signs of illegal raves planned for their land.
The August bank holiday is seen as one of the most likely dates.
Authorities in Pembrokeshire admit they were not properly prepared when more than 500 people overran farm land at Marloes during the weekend in 2003.
Police, council officers and land owners now hold contingency planning meetings and at least one large scale rave has been thwarted this summer.
Pembrokeshire Council’s pollution control and licensing manager Gareth Watts said an illegal event had been planned at Barafundle Bay on the last weekend of July.
He said thanks to early “credible information,” routes to the award-winning beach were monitored and people turned away.
Mr Watts said mobile phones and text messaging made it easier for organisers to spread the word and numbers attending could quickly grow.
He said as well as noise and rubbish there were many safety issues.
“Lessons learned”
Throughout this week planners have been contacting farmers and landowners, passing on advice and asking them to be vigilant.
“We are very much aware that this weekend is the time when people might come down to the county and spoil it for the rest,” added Mr Watts.
On August bank holiday 2003, more than 500 people spent the weekend on land belonging to farmer Owen Morgan at Marloes.
He said it was highly organised with a huge sound system and stage, but he was left “powerless” to move them on.
The police and council came in for criticism at the time for not stopping the event, but Mr Watts said lessons had been learned…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/5278894.stm
