Police break up illegal rave near Corfe Castle in Dorset

Dorset Police said it had broken up the "unauthorised event" near Corfe Castle

An illegal rave at a beauty spot that started on Saturday evening has been broken up, police have said.

Officers were still removing some of the 1,500 revellers from the event near Corfe Castle, Dorset, on Monday morning.

Dorset Police said officers were first called to the scene just before 23:00 BST on Saturday after people living nearby raised concerns about noise.

It said it was trying to identify those responsible.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Callaghan said officers had been working "throughout the days and nights to ensure that this event was brought to a safe conclusion".

'About 500 cars'

On Sunday, officers ordered people to leave the scene under the Public Order Act, he said, adding: "Due to the large-scale nature of the event, we anticipated this process would take some time."

By the early hours of Monday, "only a small proportion of individuals" remained on site and the music had been turned off to minimise any further disruption to residents, the force said.

It added it had closed roads near the landmark on Saturday evening to prevent direct access to the area and said about 500 cars were at the event.

In a statement on Sunday afternoon, ACC Callaghan said officers were at the scene making inquiries and had contacted the landowner.

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