Police release statement on Hyde Park rave where hundreds partied in 'blatant breach' of Covid restrictions

Footage has emerged showing hundreds of people partying in Hyde Park, one of the UK's worst-hit Covid areas on Saturday.

Witnesses claim the party was held from 5pm on Saturday night and carried through until 6am on Sunday morning with around 300 people believed to have flocked there.

West Yorkshire Police received several calls reporting the gathering.

However, callers were advised that officers were unable to attend as they were responding to more urgent incidents.

Police are treating the party as a "blatant breach" of coronavirus restrictions, which currently limit outdoor gatherings to 30 people, and they are searching for those responsible.

A police spokesperson said: "Police received reports in the early hours of Sunday about an ongoing street party in the Headingley area which was believed to be in breach of current Coronavirus restrictions.

"Callers were advised that officers were unable to attend as they were responding to more urgent calls for service, but that the incident was being continually monitored and risk assessed.

"This matter is being treated by West Yorkshire Police as a blatant breach of the current restrictions and enquiries are ongoing to identify who was responsible."

Local residents also expressed fury at the potential super-spreader event as Hyde Park recorded the single highest Covid-19 rate in the entire country last week.

The hotspot still has one of the worst infection rates in the UK, currently at 1,440.9 cases per 100,000 people.

One neighbour said: "The party took place on a backstreet and started in a house's backyard.

"There was DJ equipment and speakers set up around 10pm and the music started playing quite loud but not too bad.

"There were about 50 people when I first noticed the noise but as the night progressed, the number of people arriving increased exponentially.

"This caused people to spill out of the initial area and cover the whole road and the surrounding backyard.

"There were people standing on walls and bins as well as climbing trees and chanting.

"From what I could tell, attendees weren't there by invite - they just heard and followed the music.

"If I was to estimate, there were at least 300 people there at the peak of the night at around 3am."

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