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Two released after illegal Halloween rave

BBC Police outside the Wickes building where the illegal rave was heldBBC
Police responded to reports of an illegal rave in an old Wickes store building

Two people who were arrested after an illegal Halloween rave was held in a warehouse have been released on bail.

The unlicensed music event began on Saturday evening in an empty Wickes building off Winterstoke Road in Ashton, Bristol, and ended at 10:00 GMT on Sunday.

Avon and Somerset Police said there were between 600 to 1,000 people at the event's peak.

The pair were initially arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance.

Officers stopped two vehicles leaving the area and seized the sound equipment onboard.

Residents in nearby Ashton, Bedminster and Southville said they had been kept awake all night by the noise.

Avon and Somerset Police A drone shot of the police response, with cars parked either side of the road near the old Wickes buildingAvon and Somerset Police
Avon and Somerset Police officers found hundreds of people present when they arrived

The force previously said it did not have the officer numbers needed to bring the event to a close sooner.

Insp Gareth Pike said: “Residents living close by are understandably angry by the disturbance this unlicensed music event has caused.

"We’re sorry for the impact it has had on them and we share their frustrations."

Officers faced "unacceptable hospitality" as bottles were thrown at then, Insp Pike added.

People around a warehouse, some dressed in fancy dress costumes, one person is riding a scooter. Their faces have been pixelated.
There were about 100 to 150 people present after the music had been turned off

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