Police clampdown on illegal Bristol raves
Illegal ravers keeping Bristol residents awake were sent packing on Friday night by police.
Last week, the Evening Post reported that noisy parties that regularly take place during the summer months in the Avon Gorge were giving residents of Sneyd Park, whose houses look across the gorge, several sleepless nights.
Residents also complained that police were not responding quickly enough to their calls - claiming that they only arrived to stop a rave last weekend more than 12 hours after residents first called them.
But on Friday night, after music had started blaring out at midnight, police arrived at 1.20am and shut the rave down.
Avon Grove resident Professor Roger Atkins, a surgeon at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, was last week considering cancelling life-saving operations if the noise from the raves continued to cause him to lose sleep.
He was "furious" with the police for not acting to close down previous raves sooner, but he says the quick response on Friday is a step in the right direction.
Professor Atkins, 56, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at BRI who leads the limb reconstruction team in the United Bristol Healthcare Trust, said: "I am sure they will be back next weekend. But if the police keep on coming like they did on Friday, hopefully the ravers will stop coming here.
"I have had many messages from people after the article in the Post last week, saying that the noise disturbs them too - from people all over Bristol. They all say it should be stopped."
The raves take place on the North Somerset side of the river, in a secluded glade that is a former police shooting range, the other side of the railway line from the cycle path to Pill.
Another Sneyd Park resident, Peter Walters, said he had received an email from Long Ashton Neighbourhood Beat Manager Trevor Byford on Saturday to confirm what action had been taken.
Mr Walters, 49, a property developer, said: "He said that police had confiscated some of the speakers and taken the details of the organisers.
"The interesting thing was that most of the people there were not even from Bristol - the vehicles involved were from Dorset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey."
Mr Walters, whose 17-year-old son is currently sitting his AS Levels, said: "Hopefully this is a positive step and these raves will stop soon. We all deserve a good night's sleep and not to be woken up by this every weekend."
3 Comments
by Janson Anderson, Knowlewest
Monday, June 08 2009, 3:00PM
“Lee-why do you type so much horse sh**, for, afterall your a plastic raver yourself!”
by JG, Horfield
Monday, June 08 2009, 9:43AM
“Having a few quiet moments enjoying ones garden, and a peaceful evening is no longer possible.
A minority of people seem to think loud music, (sic) should be enjoyed by all, they open their windows wide and send excessive decibels to all and sundry. Or as above hold illegal raves.
Consideration for others is not an option they consider.”
by Lee, Bristol
Monday, June 08 2009, 9:38AM
“Congratulations to the idiots responsible for setting up free parties near residential areas, you're ruining it for the rest of us.
When these free parties are done properly they are well away from residential areas incase of complaints and (9 times out of 10) the area is left clean and tidy after we've been there.
If this continues then there will end up being a massive crackdown on this and it will be extremely hard pushed to get them going anywhere.
For those responsible for the rigs, use your brain and set it up in a decent place next time. What's the point of spending all that money on a rig if you're going to do it in stupid places and potentially get it confiscated.. sort it out!”