Castlemorton 30 years on: When UK's biggest illegal rave came to Worcestershire

More than 20,000 people descended on Castlemorton Common, near Malvern, between May 22 and May 29, 1992.

Bands including Back to the Planet, Xenophobia, AOS3 and Poisoned Electrick Head played live and sound systems Spiral Tribe, Circus Wrap and DiY Sound System played DJ sets.

Police admitted they were powerless to stop the week-long party and didn’t even know it was happening until travellers were already on the site.

Travellers took over Castlemorton Common

The aftermath of the rave saw 13 members of Spiral Tribe arrested and charged with public order offences, although they were eventually acquitted after a lengthy and expensive trial.

Concerns over the way the festival was policed sparked national debate and inspired legislation that ultimately became the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which clamped down on illegal raves.

Dennis Edward helps clean up the common

Reporter Robert Hale visited the encampment several times during that sunny week in 1992 and described it as “like a scene from a Mad Max film”.

In his report, he says at first the site was full of crusties - “the filthiest hardcore dropouts, identifiable by ripped grubby clothing, Mohican haircuts and the ever-present cans of Carlsberg Special Brew”.

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As the week went on, “rave kids” from as far as London, Southampton and Ipswich made the journey to Castlemorton, with word spreading via a combination of telephone ‘rave lines’ and national press coverage.

A traveller at Castlemorton Common with a home-made sign

Mr Hale describes the atmosphere on-site as changing, from feeling as if it were “enemy territory” to more of a party vibe - albeit a party where LSD, ecstasy, speed and ketamine were easy to come by.

Aerial pictures taken at the time show the enormous scale of the rave and for Castlemorton residents the week was far from a holiday.

'Crusties' at the illegal rave at Castlemorton

By the time the travellers started to leave, many villagers were almost at breaking point and a group of vigilantes with shotguns were threatening to set the common on fire.

The rave did eventually break up on its own but the fallout for politicians and the police rumbled on for months.