45 More Canisters of Laughing Gas, Other Drugs Dug up at Creamfields Site Ahead of Festival

Specialist police search teams have uncovered a further 45 canisters of nitrous oxide buried at the Creamfields festival site in Daresbury, Cheshire, taking the total number of laughing gas canisters seized before gates open on Thursday, 27 August, to 249.

Officers also recovered large bags of ecstasy, MDMA and ketamine tablets during the latest searches ahead of the event's 20th anniversary.

The latest find follows an initial seizure of 204 nitrous oxide canisters in the first week of disruption work. Officers carried out the searches as part of ongoing efforts to intercept drugs smuggled onto the grounds before the public arrives.

Earlier searches uncovered green tablets shaped like Cornetto logos, along with another stamped with the words 'It's Coming Home'. The drugs had been hidden in rucksacks and holdalls and buried months before the festival, apparently in an attempt to get around security checks.

Drugs Buried Months Before Gates Open

Burying drugs at the festival site before it opens has become a recurring problem for Cheshire Police. Attendees can visit the Daresbury grounds months in advance, hide narcotics in bags and bury them underground before returning for the event.

In the weeks before the festival, specialist officers carry out disruption sweeps across the empty site, searching for these hidden stashes and removing them before their owners arrive. The tactic is designed to leave smugglers facing an unwelcome surprise when they return expecting to dig up their supplies.

Creative Methods Used To Beat Security

Smugglers who do not bury their supplies in advance have turned to other means. Since the festival relocated from Liverpool to Cheshire in 2006, police have encountered increasingly elaborate concealment methods at the gates.

In one of the largest seizures in the festival's history at the Daresbury site, a 24‑year‑old dealer named David Gow was stopped at the VIP entrance.

A search of his rucksack revealed £22,000 worth of drugs concealed inside a Pringles can and several cereal packets.

The haul comprised 46 wraps of cocaine valued at £2,000, MDMA wraps and tablets worth £14,100, and 164 wraps of ketamine valued at £6,500, along with a small amount of cannabis.

Gow pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply and was sentenced to four years in prison in February 2017.

Internal concealment has also been used to evade physical searches at the gates. At the August 2023 festival, 26‑year‑old Molly Breen was stopped by an officer on site and admitted to carrying 74 ecstasy tablets and 15 snap bags of MDMA internally.

The bust carried an estimated street value of £1,200. Although Breen initially claimed she had been coerced into bringing the drugs for someone else, mobile phone records established she had proactively arranged to purchase them months before the event. She was jailed for two years and three months in July 2025.

Festival's Ban on Drugs and Other Items

The festival has a long list of prohibited items covering both the campsite and event arena. Illegal drugs, nitrous oxide and related paraphernalia are all banned outright.

Weapons, glass, aerosols, drones, fireworks and open flames are also prohibited, as are disposable vapes. Bags larger than A4 size are banned from the music arenas. The festival also prohibits visitors from bringing their own food, alcohol or soft drinks into the event area.

Eric Prydz Replaces John Summit on Creamfields Line‑Up

Amid the festival's preparations and policing operation, there has also been a notable change to this year's line‑up. The biggest change sees John Summit withdraw from his 'Experts Only' set after cancelling the remainder of his August shows to recharge ahead of a North American arena tour.

Swedish progressive house artist Eric Prydz will replace him on the APEX stage on Friday, 28 August. The APEX stage is described as the world's largest indoor festival main stage superstructure, with a capacity of 30,000.

20th Anniversary Weekend Draws Exclusive Acts

This year's edition marks Creamfields' 20th anniversary at Daresbury. Disclosure will bring a UK festival exclusive to the event, while Amelie Lens will make her debut with her 'AURA' show, also as a UK exclusive.

Calvin Harris, Carl Cox, Martin Garrix, Faithless and Underworld are also on the bill. The festival runs until Monday, 31 August.