A THREE-day illegal rave held between Llanddewi Brefi and Llanfair Clydogau over last week’s bank holiday may have had a damaging effect on one of Wales’ largest colonies of red squirrels, wildlife experts fear.
Locals are appealing to Dyfed-Powys Police to ensure no more illegal raves are held in their area after around 2,000 people turned up for an event which is being compared to the notorious mass countryside raves of the 1990s.
“People here are trying to get something done about any future unauthorised, uncontrolled and ungovernable ‘raves’,” Llanfair Clydogau community councillor Alan Leech told the Cambrian News.
“We have had one on both the May bank holidays so far and this one ran for three days with the very loud music heard two miles away.
“We don’t want these events here every bank holiday. There is no drinking water and no toilets. These people have left all sorts of rubbish which someone else will have to move.”
But now a leading official at the Welsh Wildlife Trust has voiced concerns on the impact the rave had on the area’s population of rare red squirrels.
“Outside of Anglesey, there are two main populations of red squirrels and the one in the woods around Llanfair Clydogau and Llanddewi Brefi is the largest,” Dr Lizzie Wilberforce, the Trust’s conservation manager, told the Cambrian News.
“What I’m concerned about is the impact this rave would have had not just on the colony of red squirrels, but local wildlife in general.
The party, UKTek, was said to have been advertised though a series of coded clues delivered via text messages and emails.
A police spokesperson said: “We assure local communities that appropriate action was taken to disrupt and deal with this event, and we will robustly investigate any criminal offences discovered."
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