The eco guide to outdoor raves | Lucy Siegle

Outdoor raves have a rich green heritage. But the new ravers must take steps to limit environmental damage

In eco news as in fashion, it has all gone a bit early 90s. Illegal outdoor raves are returning. Remember them? Recent police crackdowns include Operation Enigma in Hampshire, which sounds like a rave itself. Oddly, it is wildlife crime police who are charged with shutting down these events.

In truth, it's hard to stop a multi-sound-system outdoor rave in the dark once it gets going, so the police often have to sit it out. When dawn comes the extent of the damage is revealed. According to police, landowners and many conservationists, illegal raves trash habitats.