Councils on holiday rave alert

Increase in raves reported

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Councils are gearing up to deal with with a bank holiday weekend disrupted by illegal raves, according to the Local Government Association.

Councils and the police are said to be on high alert for such unauthorised events and are asking people in rural areas to be vigilant.

The LGA say there has been a revival of the drug-fuelled raves of the late 80s and early 90s, with increasing numbers of 'free parties' or raves in farmland and open spaces taking place over the last few years.

The internet and social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook mean the gatherings can be advertised much more widely.

Andy Sutton, LGA spokesperson on Community Safety, said: "Illegal raves don't just cause a massive amount of noise and disruption for residents they often leave rural areas in a pretty terrible state that takes time and money for councils to clear up.

"Many party-goers take dangerous chemical cocktails and put their health at serious potential risk when they are miles away from the emergency services.

"The last thing councils want to do is prevent people from having a good time, but events must be safe for everyone and not cause nuisance or disruption to others. Town halls issue licences for parties all the time as well as staging free street carnivals and festivals throughout the year," Cllr Sutton added.

The LGA has launched a five point plan for councils for deal with the issue:

• Work with the police and local landowners; set out plans and powers, such as injunctions and seizing of sound equipment

• Gather intelligence of future events by scanning the internet and by visits to pubs and clubs where messages and event flyers can be found

• Ask landowners and residents to remain vigilant, particularly around festival days and bank holidays

• If an illegal event is expected, help the organisers apply for a temporary event licence on suitable land and within the confines of the law

• Consider setting up designated 'free party' sites to avoid damage to the countryside and a hotline for the residents to call if they have concerns about illegal events taking place.