An ‘illegal rave’ that took place in a warehouse next to Ashton Gate Stadium on Saturday night (October 26) and through into Sunday (October 27) saw a charity building broken into. Ashton Gate Stadium has confirmed that one of the buildings adjacent to the stadium, which is currently partly used by a food charity as a distribution hub to food banks in the South West, was “unlawfully accessed”.
Avon and Somerset Police confirmed they had been called to respond to an ‘unlicensed music event’ in the area overnight. In an update at 10.37am on Sunday (October 27), they posted to X to say: “Our policing operation in response to an unauthorised music event in Winterstoke Road, Bristol, is ongoing.
“Dedicated resources are in the area and the music has been stopped. We recognise the significant impact this has had on residents and will provide updates in due course.”
At around 11am, a BristolLive journalist in the area confirmed that the area had been cleared, with just one police car remaining outside of the neighbouring KFC branch and a few ‘stragglers’ leaving. The stadium team said they ‘fully sympathised’ with ‘how disturbing and disruptive’ the incident has been to local residents, and confirmed that the site had been secured prior to the break-in, and that they were now working with Avon & Somerset Police to “take all action possible against all those involved in the damage and disruption overnight”.
Ashton Gate Stadium Ltd’s statement in full
A spokesperson for Ashton Gate Stadium Ltd on Sunday said: “We can confirm there was a break-in overnight to one of the buildings adjacent to the stadium which is currently partly used by a food charity as a distribution hub to food banks in the South West. The site was secure and has been unlawfully accessed.
“We fully sympathise how disturbing and disruptive it has been to local residents. We are working with Avon & Somerset Police to take all action possible against those involved in the damage and disruption overnight.
“We hope the repair and security work required will not disrupt the charity’s important work in the local community.”