- The Guardian, Thursday 3 July 2008
A beach rave party advertised on a social networking site was cancelled as organisers urged people not to go to Torquay after a police chief said last night the event would not be allowed to go ahead.
More than 4,000 people confirmed on a Facebook site that they would attend the event, touted by organisers as the "biggest open party Torbay has ever seen" and planned for this Friday night, continuing until Sunday lunchtime.
But organisers put up a message on the site they had originally used to advertise the party last night, saying: "This event is now cancelled."
Torbay police commander Superintendent Chris Singer said he was "delighted" that the organisers have "seen common sense and taken the responsible step."
He said there would be public safety issues if the party went ahead with the possibility of people getting cut off by the weekend's high tides.
While he admitted police did not know where exactly the event was planned to take place, he warned that police would still have resources in place. His message to potential revellers was: "There is no point in coming down to Torbay if you are looking to attend an alcohol-fuelled event."
The Facebook site explained that due to the unexpectedly high number of people planning attend, it would require a licence to go ahead "legally and safely".
"An application for such a licence is a lengthy process and cannot be completed within the given time constraints," it read, saying that factors such as "traffic management, waste disposal and sanitary conditions" had to be carefully planned.
It went on to emphasise that anyone who turned up would be arrested or asked to leave: "Do not travel to Torbay - there will still be a high police presence around the coast." Having originally promised a weekend with "lots of people and lots of alcohol", the organisers were now urging people to spread the word that the party is longer going ahead. "Sorry for any inconvenience" they apologised.
