Ravers seize �5million house
Squatters are holding illegal raves at a �5million Primrose Hill house.
They took it over two months ago and are charging hundreds of ravers �5 each to attend all-night parties.
Residents in the area, which is home to David Walliams, Gwen Stefani, Sadie Frost and Jamie Oliver, are furious at the noise and litter.
Some are frightened to go out at night.
They also claim the house, which has eight bedrooms, four bathrooms and an acre of land, has become a haven for drug-taking. But police say they are powerless to act until they get a court order.
Kitty Massey's home backs on to the garden of the house, which is believed to be owned by a Russian businessman.
She said: "You have got to see it to believe it. The sheer scale of these raves is unimaginable. Hundreds of screaming teenagers are turning up in droves and heavy metal and rock music has been blasting out day and night. It was a beautiful and magnificent home but now it is a wreck. There are needles and cigarette butts, broken glass and rubbish everywhere.
"I am shocked that nothing has been done to stop it. I've made hundreds of complaints in the last eight weeks. It appears that squatters' rights are more important than my own. The law is an ass if it cannot control criminal activity of this nature.
She said the house on Radlett Place, off Avenue Road, was bought by a Russian from property developers The London Planning Practice last year.
The squatters have boarded up all the windows with metal grills sprayed with paint and have pasted a legal notice to the front door warning police to stay clear.
It reads: "Take notice that we live in this property. It is our home and we intend to stay here. Take notice that at all times there is at least one person in this property."
It goes on to threaten anyone who trespasses with prosecution and to demand a written warning from police or bailiffs who wish to enter. The front of the house is littered with beer cans and glass, the security lights have been smashed and dozens of black rubbish bags have been piled up in front of the double garage.
There is a hole in the wooden front door where the door knob has been removed and inside, the black and white tiled floor and sweeping staircase are covered with rubbish.
Mrs Massey said: "I would not like to guess how many people are living there permanently but every weekend truckloads of them arrive and the music does not stop. They have erected huge tents in the back garden and there have been people dancing up and down the driveway screaming and shouting."
Jane Anderson-Craig lives on Elsworthy Terrace, which backs on to Avenue Road. She said: "There are hundreds of teenagers turning up to these raves and they stay all night. It looks like a football crowd walking down the street.
"These parties are highly organised and well-advertised. My friend's niece was even handed a flyer with directions on it in a bar in Camden Town. The squatters are charging the guests to come in and making a small fortune selling them cans of beer and drugs. I thought raves were a thing of the past but this is a throwback to the 1990s. You certainly do not expect to see this sort of thing in Primrose Hill.
"The police say there is very little they can do and that they are at the mercy of the squatters until they get a court order. In the meantime the residents are suffering and are frightened to go out at night.
Anu Mohan, who lives on Avenue Road, added: "The situation is outrageous. Raves are notoriously dangerous and can easily get out of control. It is only a matter of time before someone overdoses on drugs or the wrong sort of people turn up and a fight breaks out. It is not the sort of thing you want on your doorstep." A police spokesman said: "Officers are aware of the problems residents have been experiencing in regard to excess noise and are liaising with the council and residents to try and resolve the matter."
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