- Music was blasting and cars lined both sides of a road near Watchet, Somerset
People were left ‘trapped in their homes’ on Easter Sunday when hundreds of revellers attended an ‘out of control’ illegal rave in Exmoor.
Vans blasted out music and roads were closed off by police as scores of cars lined both sides of the street near Watchet in Somerset.
Police were alerted to the unlicensed event at about 6am yesterday with thudding music being heard for miles and miles.
Makeshift stages with large cutouts of cartoon rabbit faces, gazebos, and loudspeakers were set up in the middle of Exmoor National Park.
People wearing bunny ears holding cans of cider can be seen dancing in one video as music blares out, with hire vans and at least 20 cars jammed into a car park.
Locals hit out at the police for not doing enough to shut down the rave, with fears it would be allowed to continue for the rest of today.
One eye witness to the event, who did not want to be named, told ITV they had not seen anything like it before and they were concerned for people’s safety.
They said people living in the area had their houses surrounded by revellers, leaving them trapped inside their houses.
Another person said yesterday: ‘Exmoor is sadly not a place for families to visit today.
‘The volume of music is incredibly loud and can be heard for miles and miles.’
One cyclist took to X/Twitter to complain the rave had shattered the solitude of their ‘great ride’.
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: ‘We received a call at around 6am relating to an unlicensed music event in the Luxborough area, near Watchet.
‘Officers were on the scene within 15 minutes to find the event already under way with several hundred people in attendance.
‘Our officers remain at the site and have been engaging with individuals attending the event.
‘They have also been engaging with members of the public and providing community reassurance.’
MailOnline has contacted Avon and Somerset Police and Exmoor National Park for further comment.
