RAF Swinderby rave police response criticised

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-32016419

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A rave at a former RAF base should have been stopped by police earlier, according to angry sleepless residents.

Four hundred people gathered at the former RAF Swinderby near Lincoln in the early hours of Sunday.

People living nearby said they were kept up all night, and could still hear "thumping bass" while having breakfast.

But Lincolnshire Police defended the actions of officers, saying the unlicensed rave was dealt with as quickly as possible.

Lisa Whitehead, who lives nearby, said she was woken by the music which made it sound like the rave was "in her bedroom".

She said it continued through the night and could still be heard at eight o'clock in the morning.

Another resident thought it "ridiculous" the rave was allowed to continue when people using the village hall had to keep the windows closed so noise from inside did not annoy anyone.

Insp Phil Taylor from Lincolnshire Police said: "We are acutely aware of the disruption this caused to the local community and want residents to know we did all that we could to bring this event to a safe and peaceful end as swiftly and effectively as we could."

Five men, all in their 20s, were arrested and later bailed.

Three were held over for drug related offences, one for refusing to comply with police and another over an unrelated matter.

In 2014 the force was criticised for taking 15 hours to close down a rave on farmland at Dunsby, near Bourne.

On that occasion police said it was not safe to intervene due to the size of the event which attracted about 300 people.