POLICE discovered hundreds of revellers at an illegal rave party - being held in a sewer.

In the early hours of Sunday morning police received reports of the rave inside the tunnels underneath the bridges at the mouth of the River Ouseburn, Newcastle.

Around 200 revellers had waded through a few feet of water to access the sewer area where organisers had set up a sound system and lighting.

Officers have since discovered that the event was hosted on Facebook with those attending asked to meet at a local pub before being led into the underground venue.

It was eventually disrupted by police at around 4am after a number of people in attendance at the party contacted them with concerns about the safety of the rave.

Nobody has been arrested in connection with the event but police have said the venue was "dangerous" and that organisers had put lives at risk.

Chief Inspector Dave Pickett, of Central Area Command, said: "You can clearly see from the pictures that this is a dangerous site for members of the public, nevermind an appropriate party venue.

"These events are not licensed or supported by the responsible authorities who duty is to oversee the safety of the public.

"It is not an area that is easy to access so if anyone needed the assistance of the emergency services then they would have been in severe trouble.

"We are very lucky that we are not talking about a more serious incident, particularly when you consider that many of those involved were under the influence of alcohol."

An investigation into those responsible for the organisation of the rave is ongoing with many of those involved believed to be university students.

  • Anyone who was at the rave, or has any information about who organised it, should contact police on 101 quoting log 158 12/03/17 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.