AROUND 400 people are suspected to have attended an illegal rave in a remote Powys forest overnight.

Police have confirmed they are dealing with a rave which was held in the early hours of today (March 27) in a quarry located at the Halfway Forestry, near the village of Halfway, between Brecon and Llandovery, in the south west of the county.

Dyfed Powys Police said that attendees had come from as far as Devon to attend the rave and that the location of it was disclosed at the last minute on social media in order to prevent law enforcement shutting it down.

The rave was reported to police by concerned local residents and officers were immediately dispatched to the area. Dyfed Powys Police say between 300 and 400 revellers were in attendance and the force confirmed one arrest had been made so far.

“We're dealing with a rave in the quarry of Halfway Forestry,” said police in a statement.

“Concerned residents of the area reported a possible rave during the early hours of this morning (March 27) and officers immediately attended the area.

“They found large amounts of people had travelled to the site which was located within the Natural Resources Wales forestry.

“It is estimated that there are approximately 300-400 attendees at the rave this morning.

Officers have arrested a 22-year-old man for failing a drug swipe as he was trying to enter the site. He remains in police custody.”

Overnight, an authority under Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 was granted by the duty Chief Superintendent. This has allowed officers to set up vehicle check points within a 5-mile radius of the scene in accordance with Section 65 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

Safety considerations surrounding breaking up the event were paramount and a policy of containment and disrupting any further vehicles and people entering has been instigated overnight.

“This will be constantly assessed throughout today by a senior officer at the scene and a notice to ‘leave land’ could be issued to all present.

Inspector Dawn Fencott-Price said: “Some of those that have travelled to this rave were from as far afield as Devon and Gloucestershire.

“Social media was used to disclose the location at the last possible minute in order to prevent law enforcement taking preventative measures. We are really grateful to local residents for quickly reporting their concerns and allowing officers to take a practical approach to dealing with it.

“Our priority is to keep the area safe and end the unlawful gathering in a timely and peaceful manner. We will deal robustly with any offences that come to light during the course of this operation.

“We have a well-rehearsed strategy for dealing with illegal raves and unlicensed music events, collaborating with our partners such as Natural Resources Wales.”