‘It was so loud that the alarms on the cars along this streets were going off’The skate park under the M32

Residents have complained of vibrating houses after a “nightmare” illegal party over the weekend. Police shut down an illegal rave in East Bristol on Saturday after more than 200 revellers descended on a Bristol skate park.

Police were called to the skate park under the M32 in Easton after “multiple residents” reported loud music being played “at an antisocial volume and causing significant issues”. One person was arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of drugs and the music was turned off shortly before 7pm, police said at the time.

Avon and Somerset Police – who were approached for an update on Monday morning – said that around 200 to 250 people were at the unlicensed event. When BristolLive attended the area on Monday morning, several bags of rubbish, alcohol bottles and balloon canisters could be found.

Maria Herteg, who has lived by the skate park for eight years, described the situation as a nightmare. The 35-year-old claimed parties are held at the skate park on a regular basis, claiming it was as often as every other weekend in the summer.

Rubbish on the skate park on Monday

Ms Herteg said she she has previously complained to both the council and the police, adding her 18-year-old daughter has special needs and her anxiety is triggered by the loud music.

“This is a residential area,” said the mum-of-one. “But people are here using drugs – I have found needles after a party in the past. They also overfill my bins.

“[On Saturday], it was full from one end to the other. When there are that many people, I do not feel safe to go outside and have an argument with them.

“It was so loud that the alarms on the cars along this streets were going off and the windows were vibrating.

“Why do we have to listen to this? We want to have some peace and rest, but we can not do that. It is very stressful.

“It does have an impact, I can not find peace in my house when that is happening.”

The scenes under the M32 Motorway in Bristol, Monday 27 October 2025, after an illegal music event. PHOTO:PAUL GILLIS / Reach Plc

The taxi driver said her car had been broken into twice, adding that police needed to take a closer look at the area.

Another resident on the street also described what went on over the weekend as a “big party”. The mum, who has been living in the area for two years, said: “My front door was vibrating it was so loud.

“It [an illegal party being held] happens all the time, sometimes it doesn’t stop until 10 or 11pm – everyone feels disturbed by them, it is too much.

“It should be stopped as this is a residential area and it is bothering us.”

(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)

The nurse said that, in the past, she has been trying to sleep before a night shift and has not been able to due to the music.

Javier said he was working at the time but that his housemates told him about it. The 32-year-old said the area was “quite busy” on Saturday as a result of the illegal music event, adding it looked “quite professional” and claiming there were even some dancers performing.

“It was winding down by the time I got back, but my housemate said the whole house was vibrating,” said Javier, who has been living in Bristol for seven years. “One or two weeks ago they also had a party here and it was busy.

“The music was quite annoying – the police need to do something about it. I would not mind it if they were at Eastville Park, for example.

“Why not go to quieter places where they would not bother people, rather than here where they are 10 metres from people’s houses?”

What Avon and Somerset Police said

On Saturday, Avon and Somerset Police released the following statement.

Inspector Gavin O’Reilly, from Avon and Somerset Police, said: “We had a number of calls in quick succession from people who told us the amplified music was causing a significant disturbance and having a detrimental impact on them.

“Officers attended and we estimated there were approximately 200 to 250 people present.

“An operational decision was taken, due to the impact on the local community and concerns that the size of the event could increase further, to issue a direction to leave. Following positive engagement with those involved the music was soon afterwards turned off.”

Inspector O’Reilly added: “Taking preventative and proactive action against unlicensed music events is absolutely not about stopping people having fun – there is nothing wrong with that whatsoever. But it crosses the line and becomes antisocial when the volume of the music is so loud that it’s impacting on the wellbeing of the local community.

“We take unlicensed music events seriously because we have seen countless times before they are often being held in unsuitable locations and with insufficient plans in place to manage a large number of people attending. That creates a real risk to public safety, notwithstanding the impact on other people living in the area.

“It’s why we ask anyone who has information about a forthcoming unlicensed music event, or sees the early signs of one being set up, please reports it to us online or on 101.”