A 19-year-old is dead after attending a drum & bass event this past weekend outside Birmingham at The Assembly Leamington after taking ecstasy and being refused tap water by staff. Of course, anyone taking drugs assumes the risk that comes with illegal action, but corroborating reports of poor ventilation and overcrowding in the venue spell a larger problem.
According to attendees at the event, which held more than 1,000 people, a single jug of water was provided for patrons to refill their cups. £5 bottles were also sold out at around 2.30am, before the event’s 4am finish time. According to Metro.co.uk, which exclusively shared the story, some even resorted to filling cups and bottles using taps in the bathrooms. Those reportedly stopped working at one point during the event, as well.
An eyewitness who saw the 19-year-old in distress said it wasn’t until paramedics arrived that the bouncers even seemed to care about his wellbeing. bouncers did not step in to assist until paramedics arrived. 
The jug of water, found at the bottom of the bar, was apparently always surrounded by a huge crowd and reportedly had a ‘salty’ taste to it. One attendee said of it: “We literally couldn’t drink it, it didn’t taste like water, I don’t know if other people who were on drugs didn’t notice but we did.”
More than 60 accounts of the night are thought to have been received by Pill Report UK, with claims of mismanagement and warnings about the Red Bull MDMA pill, which the 19-year-old deceased man is believed to have taken.
“It is the responsibility of the venue to provide a duty of care to the customer and ensure the venue does not exceed capacity by monitoring entry levels at the door,” the director of Pill Report UK told Metro. Giving advice to any would-be MDMA users, he added, “You don’t have to get f**ked out your face to have a good time, all you need is a good sound system, music and people around you.”
A spokesperson for Warwick District Council say its licencing team “are aware of the issues that occurred over the weekend at The Assembly and are working with the police to establish all of the facts.”
Warwickshire Police said, “Enquiries are ongoing and we continue to work with all of our partners to investigate the full circumstances of the incident. We will not be commenting further whilst the investigation is ongoing.”
via Metro UK
