THREE people have been arrested in Southampton for trying to incite violent disorder via Twitter and mobile phones.

A 25-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man, both from Shirley, were arrested last night after messages were posted on Twitter in an attempt to encourage people to start riots in the city.

They spent the night in custody and will continue to be questioned today.

Meanwhile, another 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of using the Blackberry Messenger (BBM) network to encourage disorder in Southampton.

He has been released on bail until October.

Hampshire Constabulary heightened its presence across the county last night, in an attempt to provide reassurance to the public and prevent disorder and antisocial behaviour.

There were no reports of any incidents relating to civil disorder.

Yesterday, an 18-year-old man was arrested and released after messages appeared on Facebook, promoting violent disorder in Southampton.

He was released without further action after writing a letter of apology.