THE organisers of a massive illegal rave in South Wales which attracted around 3,000 people from around the UK have been fined £10,000 each.
Police have vowed to “do everything within our power” to prosecute the organisers of illegal raves, after the bank holiday weekend saw thousands descend on unlicensed music events.
Despite new legislation banning gatherings of more than 30 people and the threat of hefty fines, revellers flocked to parties which were then broken up by officers.
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Two organisers at an illegal rave in South Wales that attracted an estimated 3,000 people – some of whom were thought to have travelled from elsewhere in the UK – were issued fixed penalty notices for £10,000.
Officers were planning to remain at the scene in Banwen in Neath Port Talbot throughout the night, saying around 1,000 people were still there on Sunday evening.
Superintendent Jason James said illegal events like that “have a significant impact on the community” and condemned those who gathered for being “irresponsible”.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has said the new rules represent a crackdown on “the most serious breaches of social distancing restrictions”.
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, she said: “We will not allow this breathtakingly selfish behaviour from a senseless minority to jeopardise the progress we have made together.”
The new legislation is called the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions on Holding of Gatherings and Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020.
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