'Rave' link to house and car attacks is disputed

Cars and houses are alleged to have been damaged by individuals making their way back from the Saturday night party, which reportedly took place at Woodburn reservoir - although NI Water says it has found no evidence of any social gathering on its property.

The chairperson of Carrickfergus District Policing Partnership has expressed alarm that the event, claimed to have lasted eight hours or longer, was able to go ahead - and appealed to parents to make sure they know what their children are doing at weekends.

Cllr Stewart Dickson told the TIMES: “This is clearly a big incident for Carrick. I am extremely disappointed that with kids having gone back to school at the end of last week teachers, police and parents did not pick up on this so we could have had earlier intervention.

“It looks as though the event took place unattended by the police, which I am disturbed about. Regrettably, raves are associated with drink and drugs. It would appear there was no police invervention until residents started to complain about damage on Sunday morning.”

Reports suggest that small numbers of young people were seen arriving in the Woodburn area from early on Saturday evening (September 4), with “hundreds” of people aged 14 upwards arriving from 8.00pm onward, leaving the site from 4.30am.

Cllr Dickson said: “I am told that taxis and minibuses dropped off at the side of Woodburn church on Saturday night and returned to collect at 7.00 on Sunday morning.

“Early walkers found young girls sleeping in the lane at the side of the church and in hedges.”

Cllr Dickson criticised those responsible for providing transport to and from the scene, stating: ”I am appalled that a driver did not have the wit to recognise the risk. Every member of society has a responsibility if they are aware of something like this going on.”

He added: “We as a community have to collectively accept the blame for not recognising what was going on. Barely a night goes by when you do not see the advertisement on television asking do you know where your kids were last night and what they were up to.

"Clearly, a great number of parents in the greater Carrickfergus are did not know where their children were or what they were doing on Saturday night."

No information about any event on Saturday could be found online, although directions to a 'rave' in the vicinity of the Knockagh monument last July were discovered, along with photographs from an earlier event, apparently involving only a small number of people.

A PSNI source told the TIMES that a report of a rave had been received only after the event had come to a conclusion.

However, claims that party goers had been responsible for criminal damage to up to 15 houses and gardens and a number of vehicles as they left the area were ruled out.

It was acknowledged that a "spate" of vandalism and antisocial behaviour had occurred in Carrickfergus on Saturday night, with the Milebush area particularly affected - residents reported damage to windows, garage doors, fences and gardens - but stressed that there has been no evidence to indicate any link with the alleged party.

A spokesperson for NI Water said staff had visited the reservoir and "found no evidence of a social gathering. No damage was caused to the reservoir and no litter was present."

The company asked members of the public who are in the area to "respect" their surroundings and report any suspected misuse by calling 08457 440088.