North Wales Police have praised festival goers after “very low levels” of Ketamine and MDMA were deposited in drugs amnesty bins at Anglesey’s Gottwood Festival.

North Wales Police Chief Inspector Mark Armstrong also suggested that festival goers “don’t even try” to bring drugs into events since the introduction of sniffer dogs.

He said in a statement: “the amount of drugs handed in has been very low level. When festival goers see the presence of a ‘drugs dog’ and realise they are going to be searched then I think they don’t even try.”

Other substances left in the drugs amnesty bins included talcum powder and cement.

Image credit: Gottwood Festival

Gottwood takes place in an incredible woodland location on the North Wales island of Anglesey, with stunning views out across the Irish Sea. This year’s event featured a stage hosted by one of Manchester’s favourite clubs, Hidden.

After taking place this past weekend alongside Parklife and Download, North Wales Police praised Gottwood fans after the festival was virtually incident free. Police also confirmed the festival basked in glorious sunshine throughout.

Gottwood organisers also confirmed the festival will return for its 10th birthday on 6th-9th June 2019, with £100 super early bird tickets already available.

The Chief Inspector’s full statement is shown below:

‘Overall, I am very pleased with the policing and security operation that ensured the safety of all those attending this year’s Gottwood festival. Our focus was to ensure everyone stayed safe and enjoying the event and our Policing style and approach was planned and carried out with that in mind. The drugs Amnesty bins installed on site had deposits of Ketamine and MDMA in particular, but at very low levels.

Image credit: Gottwood Festival

‘Interestingly but alarmingly we also had substances deposited that people had bought believing them to be drugs that were actually things like talcum powder or cement dust. The fact unscrupulous dealers would sell someone pure talcum powder or anything else purporting it to be a drug is a clear sign they are driven by profit only and have no regard for ‘users’ safety. If ingested it could cause serious harm. However, the amount of drugs handed in has been very low level. When festival-goers see the presence of a ‘drugs dog’ and realise they are going to be searched then I think they don’t even try.’

‘We did have some concerns on Friday after receiving information about the circulation on site of a particularly dangerous ecstasy tablet known as ‘Punisher Pills’ but fortunately, that does not appear to have materialised.’

‘I couldn’t be more pleased with the policing operation and how the festival has gone overall and I’d like to pass on my thanks to all my colleagues who policed the event, our partners and local community for their patience and understanding over the weekend.’

Image credit: TheRestIsNoise

Main image credit: Gottwood Festival