4,000 attend illegal rave in Oldham, breaking Coronavirus restrictions

Date published: 15 June 2020

Greater Manchester Police has condemned the thousands of revellers who attended an illegal rave in Oldham over the weekend for breaking Coronavirus legislation.

A man died at the gathering at Daisy Nook Country Park, due to a suspected drugs overdose.

Officers say those at the rave violated the current pandemic guidelines and incited others to break the rules, too.

At its peak, there were an estimated 4,000 people at the rave.

At the same time, police were also dealing with a SECOND illegal rave - this time in Trafford - where three people were stabbed and a woman was raped.

It is estimated there were around 2,000 people attending that gathering.

Current guidelines allow for meetings of no more than six people outside a household, providing there is social distancing.

It's understood both raves were advertised on social media.

Photographs from the event in Daisy Nook show a giant banner, with the words "Quarantine Rave" across it.

Greater Manchester Police issued a statement in response to both incidents.

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes, said: "We are aware of two large raves that took place in Carrington and Oldham last night (Saturday 13 June 2020).

"These raves were illegal and I condemn them taking place - they were clearly a breach of Coronavirus legislation and guidelines, and have had tragic consequences.

"The gatherings were carefully monitored by officers but, like all forces, we needed to balance the present public health emergency and our overall demand with ongoing incidents, which can often provide a set of unique challenges when it comes to wider public safety.

"We also have to ensure that we strike the right balance of proportionality and fairness with our overall Coronavirus response.

"In Oldham there are believed to have been around 4,000 people at the peak of the gathering.

"Whilst that’s a significant number, there were no reported incidents of further crime - but sadly a 20-year-old man passed away from a suspected drug overdose following the gathering and we have specialist officers supporting his family at this time.

"We are currently working alongside partners across Greater Manchester and are engaging with local authorities in order to seek further preventative measures and address concerns of our communities during this pandemic.

"We are keen to come up with solutions that meet the needs of the community.

"I also want to thank those community members that have come out to clean the areas alongside police and members of the local authorities this (Sunday) morning, your support goes a long way.

"Our top priority will always be the safety of the public, who we are here to serve and protect. We hope the public can recognise the challenges we are facing at the moment and our communities join together in doing the right thing by following the government guidelines.

"Coronavirus is still a threat and we will continue to engage with people to encourage them to take some personal responsibility and do the right thing.

"Ultimately we need the people of Greater Manchester to join together and demonstrate the spirit that they have previously shown in the face of hard times."

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