GAZETTE & HERALD: Police infiltrated Internet websites and thwarted an illegal car cruise that drew hundreds of cars to Chippenham on Sunday night.

Some 450 vehicles descended on the town from as far away as Cornwall and Wales in the hope of congregating on the car park at the Morrisons store but police prevented them entering the site.

Car cruises are organised by enthusiasts who gather in large car parks to show off their vehicles, many of which have undergone thousands of pounds worth of modifications.

But on this occasion police pre-empted the event and warned drivers to keep away.

The exact location of the meet was not revealed over the website, in a bid to frustrate the police, but was handed out to drivers at a meeting point before the main event. Early Sunday evening police officers caught one of the organisers of the cruise and served a notice to stop the event going ahead.

Chief Inspector Norman McKeaveney, head of roads policing for the Wiltshire Constabulary, posted a notice on the Constabulary website and on local Cruise websites warning people to stay away but this did not stop hundreds arriving in Chippenham and gathering at the B&Q car park in Bath Road when they were turned away from Morrisons.

One cruiser who attended was a 20-year-old Trowbridge man, who arrived at about 9.30pm to find the B&Q car park already crowded with vehicles and the police parked at the entrance to stop anymore entering.

"There were lots of cars still trying to get in," he said.

"I parked my car in a side street and walked over but I left at about 10.15pm. By that time it was starting to fizzle out."

Inspector Cavan Moroney, traffic manager of the Central Traffic Group based at Melksham, said: "The Wiltshire Constabulary position on illegal car cruises is that they will not be tolerated."