Police called to illegal rave near Corfe Castle in Dorset

The police said officers were dealing with the incident

Police have been called to a Dorset beauty spot after reports of an illegal rave.

Roads near Corfe Castle have been closed with about 500 cars at the event as officers attended the site at 22:40 BST on Saturday.

Dorset Police said the road closures were in place to prevent direct access to the area but it did not specify which roads were closed to traffic.

The force urged revellers to "leave and go home immediately".

In a statement on Sunday afternoon, Assistant Chief Constable Mark Callaghan said officers were at the scene making enquiries and had contacted the landowner.

He said the police had received a number of calls from concerned residents overnight who had their sleep disturbed by the noise levels coming from "the unauthorised event".

In his statement he told residents officers were aware of the "large gathering of people" and the distress the incident had been causing to the local community.

"We are assessing the situation and taking steps to deal with it," he said, adding: "We would like to send a direct message to those at the event - you are trespassing, please leave and go home immediately."