Dozens of police cars descend on ‘illegal rave’ in London as the capital is plunged into Tier 4
- Footage taken by a bus passenger showed more than a dozen police vehicles
- It was claimed on social media the police were there to shut down illegal rave
- Comes just weeks after officers raided illegal gathering at home in Chislehurst
- London was plunged into a Tier 4 lockdown from midnight by Boris Johnson
Police tonight descended on a west London venue amid reports of an illegal rave as the capital was plunged into Tier 4.
Video taken by a passing bus passenger showed more than a dozen police cars and vans outside an address in Putney, southwest London, in the early hours of Sunday.
Crowds of people could be seen on the street near police vans outside a Metro bank.
It comes as Boris Johnson sparked fury by closing all non-essential shops and banning travel when he created a new, even stricter, coronavirus lockdown tier.
The tough restrictions came into effect from midnight in a desperate attempt to curtail the virus.
Photographs posted on social media showed police officers preparing to intercept what is thought to have been an illegal rave
In footage taken by a passing bus passenger crowds of people could be seen on the street near the police vans waiting to cross the road outside a Metro bank
Photographs from the latest incident showed a heavy police prescence in Putney. Though reports of a rave were unconfirmed, officers were pictured lining up outside a venue with ballistic shields.
Illegal raves have become a regular weekend occurance during lockdown. On November 28, body-worn camera footage showed a policeman screaming, ‘everyone needs to start leaving now’ through the front door of a house in Chislehurst.
While one group immediately left, another attempted to hide in a different room.
Upon entering the home and discovering the second group, the officer shouted in disbelief: ‘Right, everyone’s got to leave. This is ridiculous. Come on. Out.’
Bleary eyed partygoers then slowly filtered out of the address, which had been filled with bright fluorescent disco lights.
It has been a year littered with illegal gatherings as underground DJs and ravers organised events during coronavirus lockdown.
Dozens of police cars poured into a Putney street amid reports an illegal rave was held as the capital was plunged into Tier 4
In October, hundreds of young people packed into an all-night illegal warehouse rave in London.
Videos shared online showed a crowd of ravers ignore social distancing rules to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in a packed Barking venue in front of a live DJ.
Party-goers grinned for the camera and danced under strobe lighting in scenes that are likely to have caused another spike in Covid-19 infections.
Many had their cameras out as they pumped their fists in the air in time to the music, in footage that sparked a police probe.
The latest alleged gathering comes as London was plunged into a Tier 4 lockdown – closing all non-essential shops.
Boris Johnson faced fury last night when he dramatically cancelled Christmas for 16.4million people after hitting the panic button on a rampant new mutant strain of coronavirus.
The draconian bracket means travel restrictions including a ‘stay at home’ order for Christmas Day itself – even though Mr Johnson insisted just days ago that it would be ‘inhuman’ to axe five-day festive ‘bubbles’.
MailOnline has contacted Metropolitan Police for comment.