Southwark Council finds rave equipment in disused railway tunnel

15 January 2021

Equipment that looked like it had been stored after a rave, was discovered in a disused railway tunnel in Dulwich Wood, on 6 January. Southwark Council worked with officers from the Metropolitan Police and Lewisham Council, to locate and seize the kit.

Local people alerted the council to padlocks sealing gates into the woods and accompanying signs which said that the wood was closed. On investigation, it became clear that neither Southwark Council, the London Wildlife Trust, or neighbouring Lambeth Council, has locked down the wood.

Council and police officers discovered that Southwark Council’s industrial strength padlocks, blocking entry to the tunnel, had been removed with power drills and replaced by the organisers of an illegal event. On forcing entry they found: sound equipment, crowd control barriers, a temporary bar and a DJ table, all set up. There were used drinks bottles scattered over the floor and a large blackout curtain covered the entrance, meaning that any event held in the tunnel, would be invisible from outside.

The equipment was seized and taken to Walworth Police Station. Southwark Council has secured the tunnel and is working with contractors to prevent a recurrence.

The UK is in national lockdown, making events such as raves a significant risk to public health. In addition to this, the tunnel is a protective site for bats, making illegal events in this space disruptive to both people living in the area and the unique, local wildlife, that lives there as well.

Police Sergeant Jonathan Adams, who covers the Dulwich Safer Neighbourhoods Wards, said: “This old railway tunnel was known to us as a place where people were holding UMEs and most likely spreading Covid and putting themselves and others at risk. 

“Not only would they have angered local residents by hosting this illegal event, but the tunnel is a protective site for bats, proving these events don’t only disrupt humans, but also the local and unique wildlife that live there.”

Cllr Evelyn Akoto, Cabinet Member for Public Health & Community Safety, said: “I’m horrified that anyone would have such little regard for themselves or others, that they’d attend an illegal rave at the height of a pandemic.

“We continue to support the police in finding and shutting down locations where illegal raves might be held. Only by working together can we prevent such dangerous, thoughtless and illegal events from happening.”

Page last updated: 15 January 2021