Upon hearing loud music emanating from a vacant bank in London, police entered the building to find an illegal rave taking place inside the bank’s vault.
The bust occurred at 8AM local time last weekend, and 44 people were found to be in attendance. Over 40 attendees are facing fines of £800, the current penalty for those engaging in group events amid ongoing COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Officers have not yet determined who the organizer of the event was, but that individual could face penalties of up to £10,000 for their involvement.
“It is disappointing some selfish people still insist on breaking Covid regulations,” Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Bowen said. “We are all excited about the prospect of returning to normal in June – and some changes to restrictions are imminent – but behavior like this risks undermining the road map out of lockdown and could potentially cause further delays by creating a breeding ground for the virus.”
Police say the attendees found a gap in the building’s fencing, which allowed them to enter. The video below, obtained by the Daily Mail, shows the moment police arrived.
Unauthorized raves have continued to be a pervasive problem throughout the UK’s lockdown period. Recently, the UK Home Office published a PSA video condemning raving, among other activities, due to concern over the spread of the virus. At the time of this article’s publication, the UK currently has the highest COVID-19 death count in all of Europe with 125,343 deaths, according to The New York Times.
Source: Metro