Avon and Somerset Police had to deal with two illegal music events in South Gloucestershire and Bath overnight, after concerns were raised from members of the public.
An image taken from the police helicopter, sent to observe the scene near Newton St Loe
Just after midnight, police were contacted by a local resident regarding a number of vehicles seen in Nupdown Lane, Oldbury-on-Severn. A group of around 50-60 people had gathered gather and loud music started to be played with local residents concerned for their safety.
Despite the challenges of a busy weekend, police resources were drawn quickly together to address this disturbance. The event had been publicised on social media and the first step was to turn away others who were trying to join the event.
A closure notice was served on the organisers and the sound system seized. All those present were directed to leave and by 5.10am the site was clear.
As this was happening, police were notified about a second, larger gathering near Newton St Loe in Bath, with 150-200 people partying in muddy conditions in a cutting under the main Bath-Bristol railway line.
As more people arrived the revellers spread over the train tracks with obvious danger to themselves and railway staff.
The policing operation was extended to cover both locations, involving local officers, mounted and dog units and staff from British Transport Police.
The conditions at the scene were especially challenging due to its location, the weather conditions and the difficulty of access. Despite this officers managed to secure the site at 5am and served a closure notice to disperse the crowd and ensure safety. The site was cleared by 6am.
Superintendent Chris Weigold said: “We are grateful to the local community for their support in identifying both events at an early stage so that we could take direct action.
“It is always challenging to manage large numbers of people in the dark, in the rain and in the mud especially near railway lines or close to the seashore but on this occasion we were able to act swiftly on the information provided by residents, to stop the disturbance promptly.
“Such incidents have to be judged on the specific circumstances at the time and even though we had a large presence of officers at the festival in Glastonbury, we were able to bring together appropriate resources, including colleagues from British Transport Police, to stop the disturbance and direct those present to leave.
“The seized equipment will allow the opportunity for enforcement action to be progressed against the organisers.
“I am pleased that through the help of residents we were able to intervene directly to bring both events to a safe conclusion and thereby minimise disruption to the local community,” Supt Weigold concluded.
