Woman dies at Illusive music festival with man in his 20s in critical condition in hospital

A WOMAN died and a man was left in a critical condition in hospital after attending a music festival in the East Midlands.

Emergency services had been called to the Illusive Festival, near Corby, Northamptonshire on Sunday afternoon after there were reports of a woman who was seriously ill.

Northamptonshire Police said that she later died and that a man in his 20s also became seriously ill.

Officers are investigating a possible illegal substance supply at the festival, while Northamptonshire Combatting Drugs and Alcohol Partnership urged anyone who becomes unwell after taking drugs to seek medical help.

A 24-year-old man was arrested for drug related offences on Sunday and has been released under investigation.

Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Tuff, from Northamptonshire Police, said in a statement: “We continue to work with those in charge of the festival and colleagues in public health to establish the cause and urge anyone else who feels ill having attended the event to seek medical help.

“An investigation to establish who may have supplied illegal substances at the festival is underway and I would urge anyone with information that may assist this work to contact us on 101 or via northants.police.uk.”

Jane Bethea, director of public health at North Northamptonshire Council, added: “We would always advise against the use of illicit drugs.

“Nobody can be sure what is in the drugs that they buy, or the effect the drug might have on them.

“We also advise that if you have taken an illicit drug and feel unwell, that you seek medical help and call 999 if you feel you need urgent medical assistance.”

North Northamptonshire Council also provided guidance for using illegal substances.

It said that if you use illicit drugs, even just occasionally, please do follow this harm reduction advice:

• Avoid using drugs which seem different to normal
• Avoid mixing drugs, including mixing drugs with alcohol
• Don’t use a drugs alone, so someone is there to get help if things go wrong
• Go low and slow. Use a smaller amount first to test the effects. You can’t tell how strong something is by what it looks like
• If you think someone you are with could have overdosed, don’t leave them. Call 999 and stay with them until the ambulance arrives
• If you carry Naloxone and think someone is overdosing but you aren’t sure what they’ve taken, you can still give them Naloxone. It won’t hurt them and it could help them

Illusive Festival was being held for the 10th and final time this year and saw Girls Next Door, Lenny D, and Ed Solo headline.

The three-day music festival was held in the grounds of the stately home, Deene Park, and primarily featured dance and drum and bass music.