A THOUSAND revellers attended an all-night rave at the weekend which incensed residents who complained of its Òdeafening noiseÓ and of the policeÕs alleged failure to deal with it.
The party, which took place at Kingsmead in the grounds of the Wishanger Estate, caused a disturbance to villagers up to several miles away in Churt.
Consequently, angry residents have issued a petition to police Ð signed by several hundred Ð requesting a formal policy for dealing with noisy parties which have plagued the area for several years.
The latest rave started around midnight on Saturday and lasted until at least 7 am the next morning, prompting a number of disgruntled calls to the Herald.
Six police officers were believed to have attended the scene, along with an environmental officer from East Hampshire District Council who served a noise abatement order Ð which was ignored.
According to police, they became aware of the rave after it was well-established, and believed the best way of dealing with it was to Òlet it run its courseÓ as they did not have the manpower to resolve it.
The Herald understands the rave was organised to celebrate the birthday of the ownerÕs son, Mr David Smith of Castillian Property.
Churt Resident Michael Dutfield said: ÒThe police were inundated with calls about the rave but were unable to do anything. They should have done more as this is fairly commonplace nowadays.
ÒYou would have thought they would have a strategy to deal with it. Round here it is fairly quiet apart from some neighbours having a few parties, but this was extremely loud. Even with all my windows shut there was a constant booming. One of my neighbours went round there the next morning, and there were cars parked all over the place on other peopleÕs land and a complete mess everywhere.Ó
Another resident Dr Steven May said: ÒThis is a very pro-police area, but it shows the strength of peopleÕs feelings on this in making a petition. I felt deafened by it living quarter of a mile a way and could not get any sleep.Ó
The resident who set up the petition to police, who did not wish to be named, said he investigated the party Òin his nightgownÓ.
Though admitting they did not appear to be misbehaving, but he wanted an end to what many perceived as excessive noise. In addition, he said the forceÕs claim of not knowing about it was no excuse, as the events were predictable, happening every few weeks during summer.
A spokesperson for Hampshire Police refuted they had handled the incident poorly: ÒOfficers attended throughout the night and the organisers were spoken to and they did disconnect the biggest of the speakers which meant the noise abated significantly. If the party had not started we could have moved in and put a stop to it, but it was an impossible situation to break up.Ó
Steve Bradley, of East Hampshire District Council confirmed one of its environmental officers attended the scene and served an abatement notice. She was told by its organisers the invited guest tally had swelled to Òbecome out of controlÓ.
Although they initially appeared to comply with the notice, they continued playing music into the night. The council is now considering imposing a fine of up to £5000 on the raveÕs organisers, pending further investigation.