Rave at "outstanding beauty" spot in Dorset shut down by police

Police shut down a 100-person illegal rave at Hardy's monument in Dorset on Sunday, with attendees continuing the party until 1:PM.

According to DorsetLive, the rave took place in the car park of the Monument, with police turning up after reports of loud music from local residents.

A police statement at 11:38AM read: “Officers are currently in the area of Hardy’s Monument near Dorchester following reports of a gathering of people that has resulted in the road being blocked and noise disturbance.

Read this next: "A history of rave in dance music documentaries"

“We’re taking proactive action to ensure the departure of those present from the site,” it continued.

Two hours after, at 1:38PM, Dorset Police released an update, which read: “There are now just very few vehicles left at the location. Officers are remaining on site to ensure these last vehicles also depart.

“We would again like to thank members of the public for their understanding as we responded to this matter,” it continued.

The ravers reportedly cleaned up after the music finished and insisted that they did nothing wrong. One person told DorsetLive: “It’s not loud music. I do not think anyone heard [the music]. I can’t imagine a lot of people actually complained about it, other [than] maybe some dog walkers.”

Read this next: Reviews are in for the metaverse 'rave' – they are not good

Another said: “It’s now cleaner than it was when we arrived.” A number of waste bags were seen filled with litter from the site and packed away into cars as people left.

Hardy’s Monument, situated near the town of Dorchester, is situated within the designated Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The monument, built in 1844, is grade II listed and the heathland area around the monument was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest by the Nature Conservancy Council in 1984.

Isaac Muk is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow him on Twitter