People were left ‘trapped in their homes’ on Easter Sunday when hundreds of revellers attended an ‘out of control’ illegal rave in Exmoor.
Vans blasted out music and roads were closed off by police as scores of cars lined both sides of the street near Watchet in Somerset.
Police were alerted to two unlicensed events yesterday with thudding music being heard for miles and miles.
Makeshift stages with large cutouts of cartoon rabbit faces, gazebos, and loudspeakers were set up in the middle of Exmoor National Park.
People wearing bunny ears holding cans of cider can be seen dancing in one video as music blares out, with hire vans and at least 20 cars jammed into a car park.
Avon and Somerset police was alerted to an illegal rave at Exmoor National Park on Easter Sunday
Makeshift stages with large cut outs of cartoon rabbit faces, gazebos, and loudspeakers were set up in the middle of the park
Locals hit out at the police for not doing enough to shut down the rave, with fears it would be allowed to continue for the rest of today.
One eye witness to the event, who did not want to be named, told ITV they had not seen anything like it before and they were concerned for people’s safety.
They said people living in the area had their houses surrounded by revellers, leaving them trapped inside their houses.
Another person said yesterday: ‘Exmoor is sadly not a place for families to visit today.
‘The volume of music is incredibly loud and can be heard for miles and miles.’
One cyclist took to X/Twitter to complain the rave had shattered the solitude of their ‘great ride’.
Officers discovered the first rave near Dunkery Beacon at about 5.20am with a couple of hundred people on site.
Forty minutes later a second unlicensed event was reported a stone’s throw away at the Kennisham Wood near Luxborough.
Avon and Somerset police told the music was already blaring with hundreds in attendance when officers arrived 15 minutes later.
A small number of people remained overnight in Kennisham Wood with officers seizing sound equipment from the rave near Dunkery Beacon.
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: ‘Our priority has been to preserve public safety and minimise disruption to other members of the public and as such our officers sought to engage with individuals attending the events and provide community reassurance. Road closures were also put in place.
‘Sound equipment was seized from the unlicensed music event near Dunkery Beacon last night and enquiries are ongoing into potential public nuisance offences.
Vans blasted out music and roads were closed off by police as scores of cars lined both sides of the street near Watchet in Somerset
Locals said they were left ‘trapped in their homes’ on Easter Sunday when hundreds of revellers attended the ‘out of control’ rave
One cyclist posted some scenic photos of Exmoor national park while out on an Easter Sunday ride, but said the rave had shattered the solitude
‘A small number of people remained in the Kennisham Wood area overnight but the music was turned off by organisers at approximately 11pm following officers’ engagement work. Subsequent efforts to play loud music on site were prevented by officers who told those involved they risked having their equipment seized.
‘Those that remained at Kennisham Wood have been clearing up the site this morning. We continued to have officers in the area today to ensure those people left the site safely.’
A man in his 30s from Wiltshire was arrested at Kennisham Wood yesterday on suspicion of possession of a class A drug and assaulting an emergency worker. He has since been released on bail following police interview.