REVELLERS were stopped in their tracks at the weekend, after police intercepted them gathering for an all-night rave in Monkton Farleigh.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, police found more than 100 people at disused mines in Bathford Road, Monkton Farleigh, and quickly moved to disperse them.

Acting Inspector Glynn Ash-forth was on duty in Melksham at the time. He said: "We found out very quickly there were a number people gathering at the site and we warned them we would invoke the public act preventing these sorts of events if a rave got under way." Once Act Insp Ashforth arrived at the scene with more officers, most of the party-goers had already left, but many people were still driving around Monkton Farleigh looking for the rave.

Act Insp Ashforth said: "In fairness to them, they dispersed very quickly as soon as they realised we would invoke the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, and we spoke in person to those people with the sound equipment and they were very reasonable."

With the weather getting warmer, he warned people to expect more gatherings of this kind.

He said: "This is obviously a nuisance for the people who live nearby.

"It was on top of a hill, so the sound would have travelled for miles, and this is a public order problem that we will always stop straightaway if we can."

Raves of this nature are often planned at the last minute, to avoid police detection, and Insp Ashforth believes the internet could hold the key.

He said: "I think they get the information through chat rooms, or related sites on the net. It explains how so many people can congregate so suddenly."

Police were criticised earlier this month, after they failed to stop a two-day rave in Savernake Forest near Marlborough.

Residents complained of being kept awake by the music from at least six lorry-mounted stages, but police took a softly-softly approach to it saying they wanted the event to end without public disorder or bloodshed.

The Earl of Cardigan, whose family owns Savernake Forest said: "The bottom line is that those who organised the event have now been told they can come to Wiltshire, smash their way into private property, cause damage and the police will do nothing."