Illegal New Year's Eve rave inside old lift shaft in Newcastle shut down

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jan/01/illegal-new-years-eve-rave-lift-shaft-newcastle

Version 0 of 1.

Police in Newcastle shut down an illegal rave on New Year’s Eve that saw about 200 people welcome 2017 from an old lift shaft.

Northumbria police said officers dispersed the crowd after forcing their way into the Tyne Bridge lift shaft on Lombard Street at Newcastle Quayside shortly before 2am on New Year’s Day.

Sound equipment had been illegally connected to the electricity supply and partygoers were cleared out after police arrived. One witness told the Newcastle Chronicle that officers used a circular saw to cut through a metal vault door and enter the rave, having already smashed through a wooden barrier.

The organisers of the event are still unknown. Police said three men in a white van were seen taking equipment into the tower on Friday and Saturday evening.

The Tyne Bridge was opened in October 1928 and connects Newcastle and Gateshead.