Rave revellers take over eight-storey building

Police arrested eight people after a stand-off with riot police on Saturday evening, when bricks and bottles were thrown and buildings and vehicles were damaged.

Some party-goers claimed the police, who at first attempted to stop them accessing the building, were overly aggressive but yesterday officers stood back and allowed the event to continue. There were no further arrests and it concluded at about 4.15pm.

Organisers said in the face of the economic crisis, unemployment and homelessness, raves like this, which were common in the late 1980s, were likely to see a resurgence.

The event, Scumoeen: The Squat Monster's Ball, was organised by word of mouth and on Facebook, the location disclosed via a secret telephone number on Saturday.

Yesterday morning, hundreds of revellers spilled out on to New Oxford Street between High Holborn and Museum Road with deafening techno music pumping out into the surrounding streets.

About a dozen officers stood watch on nearby corners, while the crowd emerged.

Tourists stood and stared in amazement at the scene, with revellers in boiler suits, bear suits, and jester costumes, and an array of hoodies, top hats, fluorescent caps and dreadlocks, spread across the road. Some were drinking beer while others were clinging to water bottles and many were clearly the worse for wear.

Several police officers were hurt in the earlier clashes with a crowd of up to 500 people.

Officers had called for backup after being "rushed" by the crowd with dozens of riot squad officers from the force's Territorial Support Group on the scene. At one point the crowd charged police with a wheelie bin.

The injuries to police officers were described as "minor stuff" one suffering non-serious cuts.