Photos show illegal Halloween rave in Sheffield attended by more than 300 revellers

Photos captured by Joel Moore, reporting for The Tab, show dancers packed like sardines in defiance of the rules banning mass gatherings and guidance on social distancing to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The ‘Statement: F*** Lockdown’ party took place at a disused building in Kelham Island on Saturday, October 31, the evening Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a second national lockdown.

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Police eventually stormed the event on Nursery Lane, arresting a 17-year-old boy on suspicion of obstructing a police officer, and seizing a sound system worth thousands of pounds.

But it is understood that officers are still trying to track down the organiser, who told The Tab in an anonymous interview on the night of the rave that ‘I could get a £10,000 fine but it’s worth it’.

The Tab reported how the location had been disclosed at the last minute via a party line and when the reporter arrived own partygoer could be seen slumped beside a pool of vomit while a couple stood groping one another beside him.

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The event was one of numerous illegal parties held over the weekend in Sheffield, flouting the Tier 3 restrictions in place across South Yorkshire ahead of the second national lockdown.

Police issued nine £10,000 fines to organisers of events at properties on Endcliffe Crescent, Club Garden Road and Stalker Lees Road, among other locations, with Superintendent Paul McCurry blasting those involved as ‘extremely irresponsible’ and saying the fines should act as a warning to others.

The threat of a fine did not seem to worry the organiser of the Kelham Island event, however.

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Speaking to The Tab, he said: “I could get a £10k fine but it’s worth it. It’s a lot of money and there’s a good chance that I wouldn’t get it back, but I’m here to put a party on for people.

“When Boris took away people’s right to club, he took away a place for people to have experiences, to make memories.”

When police arrived at around 1.30am on Sunday morning, attendees formed a makeshift barricade using radiators and a door in an unsuccessful attempt to keep officers out, before fleeing the scene.