Police shut down illegal London house party attended by more than 150 people

Police broke up an illegal house party attended by more than 150 people in north London.

More than 50 officers helped shut down the event, which reportedly took place at a property rented over Airbnb property in Archway on Friday, after neighbours complained.

Footage posted by a neighbour on YouTube shows scores of people in the garden, not wearing masks or social distancing.

"The people who came had no respect for the neighbours around them nor any respect for quarantine or social distancing rules," a neighbour wrote underneath the video.

He said the house had been rented out on Airbnb and the guest "took advantage by hosting a gigantic party that quickly got out of hand", adding that the "rave" was very loud.

"It felt like I was in the party the whole time," he wrote.

Officers were called to the property just after 11.50pm on 31 July following reports of "a large gathering of people playing loud music", a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.

They added: “Officers attended and spoke with the organisers, asking them to close the event.

“A closure notice was enacted. Officers stayed on the scene while those attending began to disperse.”

The force said no arrests were made.

Chief Superintendent Roy Smith wrote on Twitter: “Officers out this evening closing down illegal and antisocial parties playing loud music into the early hours, packed groups of 150+ people risking the spread of Covid-19 and keeping poor families with young children awake at 3am."

Gatherings of more than 30 people are prohibited under coronavirus restrictions in England, and police have repeatedly shut down illegal raves across the country.