Greater Manchester illegal raves: Parents warned 'not to turn a blind eye'

Greater Manchester's mayor has urged parents "not to turn a blind eye" to the risks to children at illegal raves.

Police closed down one large gathering in Bolton on Friday and two more in Manchester and Oldham on Sunday.

Andy Burnham said the lockdown-breaking events were dangerous as there was "no proper organisation and... there's the risk of spreading the virus".

He said parents should not ignore the issue "or worse, drop your son or daughter off at one of these events".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers sustained minor injuries while dispersing hundreds of people at the events at the weekend.

Mr Burnham said there had been three arrests at the events, which had been attended by up to 300 people.

He said the raves continue to be "a real concern".

"There is no security, no proper organisation, and of course there's the risk of spreading the virus.

"We ask you to bear all of those things in mind, and we say to parents please don't turn a blind eye, or worse, drop your son or daughter off at one of these events."

He also said intelligence gathering about the events, which he admitted following events in Carrington and Failsworth in June "could have been done better", had now "very much improved".

He added that he was "grateful to GMP who have worked hard to really disrupt these events where they possibly can".

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]