Hundreds of carefree partygoers showed zero regard for the coronavirus crisis by participating in an illegal rave on the outskirts of Liverpool.
Lockdown defiers surged to a woodland area in Kirby, Merseyside, on Friday night, where they danced the night away.
At least 200 people are understood to have attended the event, and partied through to sunrise on Saturday morning.
Footage appearing to have been taken during the event shows a large group of young people partying in woodland to dance music.
Other footage and images show people travelling to and from the event, as the word quickly started to spread around online.
A DJ booth was set up in the wooded area in Kirkby, Merseyside, as hundreds turned out for a legal rave in spite of coronavirus restrictions
olice then identified the site of the gathering which occurred in private land near New Cut Lane/Coach Road, close to Rainford
One reveller a picture of himself and a friend swearing at the camera while making their way to the rave.
They wrote: ‘See yas on the dancefloor.’
He later posted a picture appearing to show him taking laughing gas with a balloon, while joining in the activities.
The illegal rave is understood to have been promoted on the @hiddendimension_ instagram page – a private profile which requires user to request to join.
Merseyside Police confirmed they had arrested four men and seized DJ equipment after attending a wooded area in Rainford overnight following reports of an illegal rave.
Police then identified the site of the gathering which occurred in private land near New Cut Lane/Coach Road, close to Rainford, the M58 and Kirkby.
Youths were videoed attending the event partying to dance music in the wooded area while inhaling laughing gas and drinking
The illegal event started on Friday and continued into the early hours of Saturday morning
Officers were deployed to key routes into the woodland, including roads and rural land, as a large number of young people were seen on the site and attempting to gain entrance from around 8pm. Police turned away around 200 people in vehicles and on foot.
The East Lancs Road was closed at its junctions with Catchdale Moss Lane and Coopers Lane to deter further attendees from gaining access in vehicles, and a dispersal order was introduced covering the area of woodland.
At around 5.30am, when the majority of people had dispersed, four males were seen by officers packing up DJ equipment.
They were arrested on suspicion of Section 5 public order offences, causing a public nuisance and were provided with dispersal order notices. They have been taken into custody and DJ equipment, lighting and lasers seized.
A further 15 dispersal notices were provided, 12 people dealt with for drugs offences, 10 dispersal zone notices issued, and 15 Covid-19 tickets issued.
One attendee documented the journey to the rave along with friends via social media
A significant amount of rubbish, alcohol containers and evidence of drug misuse was located and the site is now being cleaned up by the local authority, they said.
Chief Superintendent Ngaire Waine said: ‘All those attending have put themselves and others in the community at significant risk.
‘Not only have they risked catching and spreading the coronavirus, but due to the numbers of people consuming of drugs and alcohol in dark woods, somebody could have quite easily got seriously hurt or worse.
‘Government guidance still states that we must continue social distancing, that we must only meet in groups of six at most, and act sensibly. Clearly, those attending this rave took no heed whatsoever of that.
Pictures began to circulate online of the huge swathes of mess left in the aftermath
‘They also left behind a huge amount of rubbish which will now have to be removed. It is clear that the organisers and those attending care very little for public health, the community surrounding them or indeed their own safety.
Chief Supt Waine added: ‘Having to deal with these sorts of unnecessary incidents puts an extra strain on both police and our partners, at a time when all key workers face a huge challenge to join the national effort to beat this pandemic while continuing to protect the public.’