The illegal raft in Dorset has finally ended – 21 hours after the police ordered the revelers to leave the place.
A crowd of more than 1,000 people descended on the area in the early hours of Sunday morning, and the event continued throughout the day.
Dorset police cut off the roads and ordered people to leave, using their powers under the Public Order Act, but the last party members did not leave until around 9 p.m.
The celebrants were warned not to cross military firing ranges in an attempt to reach the rave near the village of East Lulworth.
Officers tried to get people to leave the area with the help of the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, the Dorset Council and the Department of Defense.
A post about the event on the Dorset police page on Facebook received more than 1,000 comments on Easter – mostly telling the forces not to ruin the party and comparing it to a violation of the blocking rules by politicians.
“From what I heard, they were only there in less than 10 minutes and this is a business meeting,” one user commented.
“Boris can do whatever he wants, so they can too. Why don’t we try to find some real criminal behavior?
Another said: “They just drink some cake for 10 minutes to polish the cheese and wine!
“When the people who run our country don’t even follow the rules, how can you expect a few peaceful, happy, music-loving ravers to do it.”
Police are investigating criminal offenses
Deputy Chief of Staff Sam de Rhea said officers had entered the site and ordered people to leave, but the process of dispersing the crowd “took some time”.
“In our operations, we must always balance law enforcement with the safety of our employees and everyone involved,” she added.
“Ensuring that a site is cleared without escalating or shifting the risk to our road network is always a difficult process.”
A police presence is scheduled to remain in the area, and forces have said they will investigate all crimes for criminal prosecution.
Officers inspected vehicles in the area and surrounding areas and collected footage from cameras recorded by drones and video from police helicopters.
Anyone with any information is called to contact the police on 101, quoting incident number 1729, or by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Add Comment