Yahoo Finance Hundreds flock to Primrose Hill for illegal lockdown parties every week, residents say
People visit Primrose Hill during lockdown
(REUTERS)Primrose Hill park has become a magnet for illegal parties and raves during lockdown, residents have claimed.
Organisers are advertising parties in the park on social media before turning up with loud sound systems, often attracting hundreds of revellers.
Residents say the parties are now taking place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays as Londoners grow weary of restrictions.
Councillor Oliver Cooper, leader of Camden’s Conservative party, told the Camden New Journal that the partygoers had “a complete sense of impunity”.
“People aren’t merely breaching Covid regulation but causing fights and dealing drugs in the open,” he said.
“Primrose Hill is being advertised on social media as the place to go if you don’t want to be disturbed by police. It’s like the Wild West at night.”
On Monday, a meeting was held between ward councillors, police and Royal Parks’ director Nick Biddle to discuss the possibility of gating off the park at night.
The estimated cost for gates range between £160,000 to £300,000.
Resident Sue Johnson, 63, who lives near the park, said the situation was “unbearable”.
She told the paper that revellers would often turn off their sound systems when the police arrived and sit there quietly only to turn them on again once officers had left.
Mr Biddle told the Standard that the “current poor behaviour is wholly unacceptable” and was “being driven by lockdown”.
“We welcome the work of the police to enforce the law and deal with offenders,” he said.
“We very much hope that as the coronavirus restrictions are lifted, we will see the park return to normal.
“In the meantime we urge all visitors to be mindful of others and to respect the park and local residents. We are keeping the matter under review in consultation with the police and local representatives.”
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