Techno party shock for South Bohemian village

The sleepy South Bohemian village of Lipnice, with its population of roughly sixty people, most of them pensioners, became a temporary home for up to six thousand devoted fans of Techno music over the weekend. Local residents complain that the organisers didn't receive permission to hold the rave in the area, and the district hygiene expert has now ordered the party to come to an end. Nick Carey has this report:

The techno rave, called CzechTekoo, was a secret event organised over the Internet, and was originally meant to be held in North Bohemia. The Internet pages that advertised the event contained several mobile phone numbers, and it was through these that the location for the event was changed at the last moment to just outside the small village of Lipnice in South Bohemia. The event's organisers were apparently scared off by the interest shown by the North Bohemian police in the rave, and when the location was changed, the authorities were caught off guard.

Up to six thousand ravers from all over Europe then descended on Lipnice, and set up camp in a large meadow on the outskirts of the village, which had been rented by an as yet unknown company. The town's population of sixty people, most of them pensioners, have been treated to techno music from morning till night for four solid days.

Local mayor Vera Jindrova says there was nothing the local police could do to prevent the techno rave from taking place. She described the ravers as an unstoppable plague of locusts. All the roads into the village were blocked with buses and vans, and according to the local police, any attempt to intervene could have ended in violence.

Once the estimated six thousand ravers were encamped in the meadow, all the authorities could do was monitor the situation, and provide medical help to five people suffering from a mixture of burns, stomach problems and drug overdoses. Up to half the ravers are still partying away at Lipnice and many intend to stay on until Thursday.

The local hygiene expert has warned that the tonnes of rubbish left on the site, the lack of any sanitation or proper drinking water could quickly lead to the spread of infectious diseases. He has asked for police help to break up the techno party, and then wants to have the meadow sanitised. One suggested method for this would be to spread lime on the ground, and then plough the whole area up. Now that's what I call a party.