Drugs And Mud At V Fest - Pollstar News

After already warning festivalgoers of “two very dangerous substances with unusually high purity” at V Fest, police snatched up a reported 17,000 canisters of laughing gas at the event’s Chelmsford site.

Photo: Joe Giddens / PA via AP

Day 2 at Weston Park, England. The annual music festival attracts top acts and tens of thousands of fans.

Essex police used the new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to seize the nitrous oxide and eject 248 people from the event, according to BBC News. Overall, more than 60 people were arrested, with the vast majority being drug charges.

A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of rape, according to The Mirror. Before the event, V Festival released a news item warning festivalgoers of particularly dangerous drugs.

“We are working to support the organisers to keep V Festival as safe and enjoyable event and I urge anyone in contact with drugs to deposit them in the dedicated drugs bins on the site,” read a statement from police in charge of the Staffordshire event.

The statement continued with Steve Wheaton from West Midlands Ambulance Service adding, “I urge anyone feeling unwell who may have had drugs to seek immediate medical help. We have doctors, paramedics and skilled staff on site to deal with any emergency and we are working closely with the onsite medical teams to provide any urgent support.”

V Fest Staffordshire was also popular with rain clouds, as more than 1,000 people were treated onsite for weather-related mishaps, according to BBC News. Thirty-six fans were taken to hospital for treatment.

Artists playing the major twinned UK fest included Calvin Harris, Kasabian, Ellie Goulding, Hozier, Sam Smith and many others Aug. 22-23 in Hylands Park, Chelmsford, and Weston Park, Staffordshire.