51 arrested at Creamfields – mostly for drug offences

A TOTALof 51 festival goers were arrested over the Bank Holiday weekend during the Creamfields music festival, near Warrington
These were mainly for drug offences but there were other arrests in connection with assaults, theft and those wanted for outstanding offences.
There were a further 68 festival goers dealt with onsite by voluntary attendance interview andthe organisers processed 199 people through their Eviction Centre and 140 were evicted from the event for unacceptable behaviour.
Planning for this year’s event began earlier this year to determine the policing requirement alongside the organiser’s own security arrangements.
Cheshire Constabulary worked closely with the event organisers, Festival Republic, and their security team in order to ensure festival goers had a safe and enjoyable time and to minimise any disruption for local residents.
But there were numerous complaints about noise levels emanating from the festival, with people from as far away as Weaverham, Lymm, High Legh, Appleton and Thelwall claiming the noise this year had been worse than in previous years.
A number of people claimed “enough was enough” and that steps should be taken to limit the noise in future years – or even that the festival should be banned or moved elsewhere.
Warrington and Runcorn residents did not see a change in the level of policing provided over the weekend. Police officers, PCSOs and the Special Constabulary continued to deal with calls from the public and provide visible reassurance in the local community.
Last year there were 153 arrests at Creamfields, including 131 for drugs offences.