Thousands of revellers attended a huge 15-hour illegal rave on Easter Sunday which is set to continue through until tomorrow – with party people being warned by police to not cross firing ranges to get there.
More than 2,000 ravers descended on a site close to the village of East Lulworth, Dorset, in the early hours of Sunday, causing mayhem at a popular seaside resort on the hottest weekend of the year after police closed the roads to stop more attendees heading towards the party
Dorset Police force said that by 1pm on Sunday they were still trying to get partygoers to leave the area with the help of Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue, Dorset Council and the Ministry of Defence.
Local reports claim that the rave is set to continue on until tomorrow.
Roads heading to the site have been blocked by police cordons in the quiet village of West Holme, instead leading some people trying to get to the rave by crossing Army training land.
Disgruntled locals have described a sound like ‘rolling tanks and gunfire’ keeping them up throughout the night and have since complained of the subsequent traffic chaos on the narrow lanes as tourists flock to the coast during a sunny Easter Sunday.
But that does not appear to be stopping the revelers who have been spotted dumping their cars and walking straight past the blockade.
Thousands of ravers descended on a site close to the village of East Lulworth, Dorset, in the early hours of Sunday, causing mayhem at a popular seaside resort on the hottest weekend of the year after police closed the roads to stop more attendees heading towards the party (pictured walking towards the rave site on Sunday morning)
The thinly stretched police force, which is at a loss as to how to tackle the rave, issued a plea to the party-goers on Facebook, writing: ‘Please leave and go home immediately.’
Meanwhile frustrated farmers have taken the law into their own hands and are using tractors and diggers to disperse the rave, it has been reported.
Graham Hunt, a local photographer, said: ‘There are just two police officers here. They’ve blocked the road but people are just parking up and walking down there. They park their cars outside the road block, then just walk past the police.
‘This is Ministry of Defence land – there are signs up with warnings that it’s a firing range.’
Charlotte Stanton, who keeps ponies in the area, said: ‘It makes me nervous how close they are because of the fallout of intoxicated individuals wandering too close to my ponies.’
Dorset Police force said that by 1pm on Sunday they were still trying to get partygoers to leave the area with the help of Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue, Dorset Council and the Ministry of Defence. Local reports claim that the rave is set to continue on until tomorrow. Pictured, ravers at the site last night on a video shared online