|
Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
|
|
UK: Fun of the fair turns into party nightmare (Strawberry Fair)
Cambridge Evening News
Tuesday 05 Jun 2007 hordes of binge-drinking revellers caused mayhem as they partied through the night after Strawberry Fair. And festival organisers and police have been accused of "passing the buck" in dealing with the problem. Chris Parr, a builder who lives in Abbey Road, Cambridge, said this year's fair was worse than ever for residents living near Midsummer Common. He saw loutish revellers, who had parked illegally in Abbey Road and neighbouring Walnut Tree Avenue, scaring off traffic wardens by being abusive when they arrived to issue tickets. He said: "A large group of professional festival-goers turned up in their vans, packed with amplification and heavy speakers, and played ridiculously loud music for hours on end. "They parked illegally, on double yellow lines or on the kerb, and when traffic wardens came on Saturday morning they verbally abused them until they scuttled away. "On Saturday night they set up a 1,000 watt public-address system and had a rave under Elizabeth Way, playing punk rock music until 6.30am. "At some point a security camera on the bridge was torn down, and because Strawberry Fair organisers refuse to take any responsibility for these people, and don't provide toilets, they urinated all over the place. "It is disgusting, but when you call the festival organisers they say it is nothing to do with them, it is a matter for the police, and when you call the police they say it is a matter for the Strawberry Fair. "They are passing the buck, and it can't go on - if the festival is to continue it has to be properly organised. "My son is 16 and had a maths GCSE exam on Monday - but he didn't sleep on the Saturday night because of the noise." Martin Twiss, chairman of Strawberry Fair committee, said: "This is a very difficult issue, but the area involved, where people often set up camp, is not one where the fair has any jurisdiction. "We have been talking with police and the council about how to discourage camping. We are thinking about what we can do differently next year. "Clearly police were on site throughout the event and were made aware of this situation, and although I did not see a rave I do agree that there was loud music and some people probably behaved in an anti-social manner." A police spokesman said: "We were told in the early hours of Sunday morning that a large group of people was making noise and disturbing residents in Abbey Road. "Officers attended and the crowd was monitored to ensure order was maintained. "However, a number of other incidents, including a sexual assault which warranted more urgent attention, were ongoing and police were not in a position to disperse those creating the disturbance." Coun Ben Bradnack, who lives in Riverside, said: "There was loud music between the hours of 3 and 8am, but this is not anything new - it has been going on for the last 10 years. "But I don't think the way it was dealt with was anyone's finest hour." Police took a stand against drug use at the fair. They made 21 arrests and recorded 200 seizures of illegal substances, including cannabis, cocaine, Ecstasy and ketamine. A further three people received £80 fines for public order offences. British Transport Police arrested a further 70 people on suspicion of offences, including possessing drugs and weapons, at Cambridge station. In one incident at the fair a singer with a band was arrested following complaints about racist lyrics in his songs. The 28-year-old, from London, was arrested on Saturday evening and cautioned for racially aggravated threatening behaviour.
After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.
|
This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.
Feel free to link to this page!