Police dig up 'sizeable' drug haul buried underground at UK music festival site

A "large quantity" of drugs has been buried at a UK music festival site and discovered by specialist police officers.

Cops have been conducting "pre-event disruption work" to stop crime and trouble kicking off at Creamfields 2026. Specialist officers have searched the festival site in Daresbury, Cheshire , ahead of the event that starts on Thursday (August 27) and runs until Monday (August 31).

The specialist searches will continue in the run up to the event. The first week of pre-event searches of the grounds concluded with officers uncovering a "sizeable quantity" of class A, B and C drugs that had been hidden and buried at the festival site, reports the Liverpool Echo.

This find included approximately 204 canisters of nitrous oxide, as well as large bags containing ecstasy, MDMA and ketamine tablets being recovered.

Superintendent Andy Blizard, who is overseeing the Creamfields policing operation, said: “Every year we remind those attending Creamfields that there is a zero-tolerance policy regarding drugs and, every year, we counter a number of brazen individuals who think they can outsmart us by concealing drugs from view or burying them at the site months in advance.

“Our specialist search teams have spent a considerable amount of time combing the grounds of the Creamfields site ahead of festival’s opening later this week.

“We fully expect to find further quantities as our searches continues, leaving many of those who chose to bury these items very much disappointed to find them no longer where left them when they arrive at the festival do dig them back up

“Anyone who has buried a rucksack or hold-all bag at the site and would like it back is asked to get in contact with us - officers have already begun conducting enquiries to identify their owners and look forward to speaking to them soon.”