Police shut down 100-strong illegal rave in abandoned East London Argos

The unlicensed event was shut down at just before midday on Sunday, after reportedly raging on "overnight"

An illegal rave in an abandoned Argos in Dalston, East London was shut down by police last weekend. 

In a statement from the Metropolitan Police's Met Engage platform, police said they received two calls at 8:AM on Sunday (May 10) alerting them to loud music coming from the shuttered store on Sandringham Road, which had been going on "overnight".

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While the force estimates around "100 people were in attendance" at the time they received reports from local residents, when officers arrived at 11:40AM they ordered "around 20 people" to leave the venue.

"We recognise that several persons at this venue are protected by ‘Squatters Rights’ – those persons remain at the venue lawfully and were not part of the group asked to leave attending the UME," the statement reads. "They remain at this venue."

Utilising Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 powers, police removed a "large quantity" of sound equipment from the abandoned Argos store, which closed down earlier this year. 

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While there were no arrests made in connection with the rave, a man wanted by Westminster Magistrates Court after failing to appear in court in relation to an offensive weapon offence was also arrested. 

The statement adds the officers "recovered 3 stolen cycles, which we hope to restore to their owners today as well as a suspected stolen Blue Badge."

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, you can email her here.

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