Police in Scotland were called to the scene of an illegal rave in Newton Mears last Saturday (October 31) where hundreds of people had gathered in an abandoned farmhouse for a Halloween party.

The gathering was in breach of the Covid-19 restrictions set out by the Scottish government which prevents the gathering of more than six people from two households.

An eyewitness to the gathering told the Daily Record:

“I could not believe it. There were all these young folk getting off the train or coming in cars and leaving them at the station.

“Some of them were wearing fancy dress and you could hear the bottles clinking in their plastic bags.

They clearly just don’t care about Covid-19 or what the rules say. It beggars belief that we are bracing ourselves to hit the second wave and these morons travel from far and wide to have a rave.

“There are a lot of older people in this area and the last thing they need is this madness on their doorsteps in the middle of a pandemic. There were loads of young men and women congregating in an old barn type building.

“They were rammed in like sardines and some had costumes on but none that I could see had face masks on to stop the spread of Covid. They have probably brought an outbreak right to us.”

“There were a couple of older men floating about in a van who seemed to be organising or managing the event.”

Covid-19 guidelines

A Police Scotland spokeswoman confirmed that a number of party-goers ran off from the Patterton rave on Saturday evening once officers arrived.

She said: “Officers attended following a report of an illegal gathering and a small group of people dispersed as they arrived.”

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: “It remains the case – in all parts of Scotland – that we should not meet up in groups of more than six people from two households, or in each other’s homes.

We know that the vast majority of the public are abiding by the current rules which are essential to get the spread of coronavirus under control.

“We know it is tough but we urge everyone to continue to stick with the restrictions to protect our communities and the NHS.”