MORE than 70 Hampshire police officers were involved in an operation to break up an illegal rave in the county.

Police followed messages on social networking sites to discover the location of the party, at a disused industrial unit.

They spent more than six hours at the scene overnight, and made a string of arrests, including the apparent organisers of the rave.

Detectives haven't revealed the exact location, but said the site, in the Andover area, had previously been used for a rave that had led to successful prosecutions.

People were stopped as they travelled to the event by officers using powers under the Criminal Justice Act, and police seized sound equipment as part of their bid to build a case against those believed to be responsible for organising it.

“Our aim is to minimise disruption to the residents of the surrounding community, and the safety of all persons attending,” said Chief Inspector Hannigan Finlay.