There was an illegal rave in a sewer in Ouseburn at the weekend

The police say it was ‘in a SEWER’


An illegal rave which happened on Saturday night was held in a sewer in Ouseburn and thought to be organised by students.

 

Under the Byker Bridge where revellers had to wade through to access the party

Around 200 revellers waded through shallow waters to access an area clad with lighting and speakers. The event was organised on Facebook with attendees invited to a pub beforehand and then taken to the sewer tunnels.

It was eventually shut down by the police at 4am after people at the event contacted the police after becoming concerned about the safety of the rave.

Police said those responsible for organising the even are thought to be university students: “An investigation into those responsible for the organisation of the rave is ongoing with many of those involved believed to be university students.”

Nobody has since been arrested in connection with the event but the police are warning the public about the danger of these types of raves and the risk the organisers are placing themselves in.

A generator thought to have been used to power the soundsystem

Chief Inspector Dave Pickett, of Central Area Command, said in a statement: “You can clearly see from the pictures that this is a dangerous site for members of the public, nevermind an appropriate party venue.

“These events are not licensed or supported by the responsible authorities who duty is to oversee the safety of the public.

“It is not an area that is easy to access so if anyone needed the assistance of the emergency services then they would have been in severe trouble.

“We are very lucky that we are not talking about a more serious incident, particularly when you consider that many of those involved were under the influence of alcohol.”

It adds to a number of illegal raves that have been shut down in Newcastle in more recent years. The police are still hunting for the organisers of a New Year’s Eve illegal rave that took place in a tower of the Tyne Bridge, hinting that the illegal rave may be back underground with even more determination.

More pictures here: