AN Alresford man has been convicted of staging an illegal rave at a beauty spot near Winchester.

James Dean, 22, organised the unlicensed party at Crab Wood, west of the city, last Hallowe'en.

Twenty police officers broke up the party, which attracted more than 200 revellers.

Four people were arrested and music and sound equipment was seized. A minority of people became hostile and bottles were thrown at officers.

The noise was so loud that it could be heard two miles away on the western edge of Winchester.

Dean, a plumber, of Spring Gardens, was arrested after refusing to leave the site despite repeated warnings from the police that the event was illegal.

He pleaded guilty to running an event without a public entertainment licence. Andover magistrates fined him £300 with £200 towards prosecution costs last Wednesday. A charge of failing to leave an unlicensed event was dropped.

Dean is challenging another conviction against him for staging an event at Hockley, near Winchester, in July 2003. The hearing is due on November 10.

The parties have been a chronic problem in the Farley Mount area, disturbing sleep for hundreds of people and damaging parts of a site of special scientific interest.

Sgt Bill Ord, of Twyford police, who led the operation at Crab Wood, said police attended four times over five hours. He denied the police were being party-poopers. "We are not out to spoil people's fun. This is about public safety," he said.

"It worries me that you have lots of partygoers walking around the countryside as people are driving around looking for raves. The potential for accidents is high."

Inspector Steve Sargent added: "The police are not out to spoil partygoers' fun for the sake of it, but whenever a rave takes place, thousands of people are kept awake all night. The disturbance usually carries on well into the following day and the public are denied access to the site, which is usually a recreational area.

"Also, there is usually no provision for crowd safety, toilets, parking or clearing up litter at the end. For these reasons, the police are given the power to close parties such as this.

"Hampshire Police have access to information which alerts us to the time and place of forthcoming raves and, throughout the summer, we allocate extra officers to preventing illegal raves.

"If the rave does not materialise, these officers are diverted to foot patrol in town centres. We are prepared to take swift action."