Police disperse 'large' crowd at illegal rave in Forest of Dean
2 August 2020, 12:01
Officers in Gloucestershire have worked through the night to close down a large illegal rave in the Forest of Dean, police confirmed.
Gloucestershire Police were called to the Speculation car park near Lydbrook and Parkend early on Sunday morning and took hours to disperse the crowd.
The force said officers were moving on the group to ensure "the event does not continue" and that those attending could leave "as safely as possible".
Sound equipment has been removed and a number of surrounding roads were closed to prevent further people from attending the event.
Gatherings of more than 30 people are still banned under current coronavirus guidelines.
A police spokeswoman said: "The road closures were as a result of intelligence which had been developed and identified that many of those attending were from outside the county which allowed officers to target key roads that the individuals would have used to attend.
"As part of the police response, two arrests were made for drug driving and two vehicles were seized.
"Officers want to thank the local community for their patience and reassure those living in the area that they understand how much of an impact an event like this can have."
Police previously told reporters they had responded to reports of a "large volume" of people in the area.
It follows similar incident across the country, with Greater Manchester Police imposing a dispersal order across the whole of Salford on Saturday night after dozens of people set up audio equipment on a roof of an apartment block.
