POLICE were called to break up an illegal rave in Hampshire which involved more than 150 people.

The event had been organised on social networking sites and resulted in scores of people congregating in woods in Chandler’s Ford.

The area, known locally as Hut Wood, is set behind mainly industrial units along Bournemouth Road but locals in the surrounding area contacted police complaining about loud music and activity in the woods.

Dozens of officers responded including uniformed patrols, dog handlers, the riot-trained Force Support Unit and the police helicopter was deployed just after 11pm on Saturday.

According to Hampshire police no arrests were made and the rave was dispersed by 3am without incident.

However, according to a force spokesman the main concern was ensuring people left the site safely.

He said: “The main health and safety issues was dispersing that many people in close proximity to a road with a national speed limit. In the end officers had to slow traffic down to allow people to leave.”

He added that sound equipment along with two generators were also seized.

Enquiries were continuing yesterday to establish who the landowner was.

Crackdown The illegal rave was the second of its kind to be shut down this month and comes as Hampshire police launch Operation Enigma – a forcewide crackdown on the events.

As reported by the Daily Echo two people needed hospital treatment suffering from the effects of alcohol after the event involving an estimated 300 young people.

Residents reported that broken bottles were strewn all the way down a quiet country lane in the tranquil village of Sherfield English as a result of the illegal rave.

Police confirmed that word of the event appeared to have gone viral on Internet social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter with hundreds of college students from different parts of the county attending.

Operation Enigma was launched in a bid to stop illegal raves and deal robustly with those who host unlicensed music events in the county.

Officers say that although figures surrounding unlicensed music events are hard to clarify, they believe they dealt with at least 22 last year.

Traditionally Hampshire police see a rise in this time of incident at this time of year.

Enigma will see officers visiting landowners and providing tips on securing their property plus increased patrols in areas deemed vulnerable to raves.