Thetford forest rave organiser fined £10,000

Clashes broke out at the rave in Thetford Forest

A man who helped organise a forest rave attended by more than 500 people during the pandemic has been fined £10,000.

The unlicensed music event in Thetford Forest, Norfolk, started on 29 August, the day after new penalties were introduced for large gatherings.

More than 100 officers from four forces were deployed and the rave shut down at 18:30 BST on 30 August.

Police said a 23-year-old man from Newmarket, Suffolk, was given a £10,000 fixed penalty notice.

The fine was for facilitating or organising an event of 30 or more people in a serious breach of social distancing restrictions.

Five men were fined £100 at the time for participating in the rave.

Police said it was clear the rave was "a well-established and planned event"

Assistant Chief Constable Nick Davison condemned the "selfish" behaviour and said the event was challenging to disrupt due to its location and the number of people involved.

"I deplore their decision to organise this event, and in doing so, act so recklessly and without thought for people's safety and wellbeing, and particularly at a time when coronavirus continues to be a very real threat to us all," he said.

Police were alerted when a member of the public reported seeing large numbers of cars queuing to access a fire route near Grimes Graves, an English Heritage site.

Specialist officers from Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire were deployed to shut the gathering down.

In addition to the arrests and fines, officers also seized audio equipment, generators, a rig and a large flat-bed lorry used to transport the equipment.