Illegal Rave in Newcastle Shut Down

Police have shut down an illegal rave that saw around 200 people ringing in 2017 in an old lift shaft.

Northumbria Police said officers dispersed the crowd after forcing their way into the Tyne Bridge lift shaft at Lombard Street on The Quayside, Newcastle, shortly before 2am.

Sound equipment had been illegally connected to the electricity supply and partygoers were promptly cleared out after police arrived.

One witness told the Newcastle Chronicle officers used a circular saw to cut through a metal vault door and enter the rave, having already smashed through a wooden barrier.

The organisers of the event are still unknown. Police have said three men in a white van were seen taking equipment into the tower on Friday and Saturday evening.

The Tyne Bridge was opened in October 1928 and links Newcastle and Gateshead.