THE growth in the number of illegal raves in Scotland is putting the health of young people and their families at risk, but nightclub owners say it’s almost inevitable that it will continue as long as their premises show no sign of opening.

With nightclubs closed and music gigs on hold because of the Covid-19 restrictions, the summer has seen a spike in illegal social gatherings.

There were reports in June of 20 youngsters holding a quarry party in Douglasmuir, Clydebank, with the owners of the tunnel saying that they knew nothing about it.

In Midlothian, Police were called to a paid-entry house party attended by more than 300 people last weekend at Kirkhill Mansion. A 29-year-old man was issued with a fixed penalty notice and the revellers were ordered to leave.

The owners of the property are pursuing legal action after they said they were duped by the man who made the booking for the house which sleeps up to 34 guests.

The director of Glasgow’s Sub Club Mike Grieve said that the closure of nightclubs and venues had created a “cultural void” which illegal events had stepped in to fill.

The Garage and Cathouse founder Donald MacLeod told the Sunday National: “The bottom line is that people are getting locked down all the time and that is not good for the mental health.

“But what is most important for a young person growing up is that if they can’t get out – and we’ve got to think back to when we were growing up – and are not allowed to go to places then they’re going to think up their own forms of entertainment.’

“There’s a means of exploitation there where drugs can be sold, where the illegal alcohol can be sold and you run the risk of catching Covid, but more importantly running the risk of taking something a lot stronger than they thought.

A #FreedomToDance campaign has been launched and one of its aims is to win more financial backing for the night economy. A survey of more than 300 night-time businesses revealed that 83% will have to make redundancies when furlough ends in October.

Social-distancing rules currently limit indoor gatherings to no more than eight people from three households and 15 people from a maximum of five households if it is outdoors.

Police can issue £60 fines at gatherings of more than 15 people. Repeat offenders can be fined up to a maximum of £960. Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham said: “Those attending this organised event [at Kirkhilll] showed a blatant disregard for the regulations in place to help save lives and prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“Further investigations are being carried out with a view to what other charges may be brought, including culpable and reckless conduct.

“Anyone attempting to hold such an event, or any party in clear breach of the law, should be aware they will be met with a robust response from Police Scotland.

“I cannot stress enough the serious risk to public health an event of this size poses, not only to those present and anyone else they come into contact with but also the wider community and all those from the emergency services who attended.

That was one of around 300 house parties which police were called to across Scotland last weekend, with officers issuing six fixed penalty notices.

Five of those were issued at a house party in Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, on Saturday, with two men arrested in connection with a fight at the property.

Graham added: “The Chief Constable has made it clear that we are asking people to take personal responsibility to do the right thing and remember the purpose of these measures is to aid the collective effort to stay safe, protect others and save lives by preventing the virus from spreading.

The rise in raves is also causing concern for our health service, with Alison McCallum, director of Public Health at NHS Lothian, warning: “We must continue to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, which is why it is critical we don’t socialise in the same way we did in pre-Covid times.

“Physical distancing, diligent hand hygiene, the wearing of masks and limiting the number of people we socialise with are all critical defences in our collective effort to keep us all safe. This is also why nightclubs are currently closed and larger gatherings such as house parties are not permitted.

“If any of us breaches this guidance, there is a significant risk that we make our family, friends and other close contacts unwell. We also risk helping to set back the date for the re-opening of our favourite places.

The message to young people to stay safe and keep those around them safe is echoed by the Scottish Government.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “It’s hard to put into words how utterly irresponsible this kind of behaviour is in current circumstances. It puts people at risk and threatens our progress out of lockdown. PLEASE do not attend house parties just now.”

But some nightclub and venue owners warn that keeping their premises closed could lead to more young people being placed in danger.

Geoff Ellis, chief executive of DF Events, said the sector could re-open and comply with the Government’s contact-tracing system.

“The alternative is unregulated parties and illegal raves which provides a greater risk of transmission,” he said.

MacLeod warned youngsters to desist from putting on their own parties. He added: “Maybe a lot of kids want to go and set up their illegal parties, their raves in the woods. They might think it’s sexy, but there’s no tracking phase, there’s no onus on health and safety.”

The nightclub impresario says that the answer is returning to “the old normal” when it is right to do so.

“He insists that nightclubs are the safest environments for young people to enjoy themselves, dance and listen to music.

“If we can do what we can we can mitigate it at the door and when they’re inside and at a reasonable level where no social distancing plays a part.

“I know that that’s a big one for a lot of people to swallow.

“But if we could trial some club events where adding things like track and trace could be put in. Where the place is sanitised after every night, demisted, where there are hand-sanitisation places throughout.

“Where mask-wearing isn’t compulsory but it would be for the staff, where they could take them off if they wanted to dance but not go tonto on it.”

MacLeod believes that we can, and will, return to the dance floor and rails against the view that it is not yet safe to dance together again.

He said: ‘There is more and more evidence coming through that the virus itself is diluting, it’s not as lethal.

“We’ve saved the NHS, we’ve saved the economy, now let’s save the kids.”