The sound system set up in the illegal rave in Thorndon Park
POLICE have slammed "reckless" people and issued £18,000 fines for illegal New Year raves overnight.
Hundreds of people chose to attend unlicensed events in Essex to flout coronavirus restrictions.
Police say the ravers have "endangered themselves and others" and "put extra strain on our NHS on New Year’s Eve".
Officers from our Operational Support Group attended three main locations throughout the course of last night and the early hours of this morning.
A spokesman for Essex Police said: "The first was a conservation-run church in Thorndon Park, where hundreds of people had gained entry.