POLICE broke up a rule-breaking party in the Herefordshire countryside.

West Mercia Police said officers were at what they called a "suspected unlicensed music event" near Bromyard.

The sound of bass speakers could be heard faintly a couple of miles from the site off Avenbury Lane.

There were a couple of cars parked on the side of the country lane, but nothing on the scale that we saw when ravers descended on the hills above Dorstone in the Golden Valley during the coronavirus pandemic.

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When I drove around, shortly after 10am, the event didn’t seem huge – but the police had said they were there two hours earlier and were shutting the event down, so it is difficult to say if it was still as big as at 8pm.

The area is what you would expect of rural Herefordshire – rolling fields dotted with crops, livestock and the odd farm and cluster of houses. It is ordinarily a quiet area but not last night, with music and lights affecting nearby houses.

Police confirmed that they put out an appeal on Saturday, August 6, for people not to attend.

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They said that under sections 63 and 65 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, they were in the area dispersing those who had gathered and were ready to turn anyone away who might arrive and stop anyone within a five-mile radius suspected to be attending.

"This event is illegal. Please do not attempt to attend," a spokesperson said.

"Illegal events are not safe and those who arrange them have not planned properly to manage a crowd and ensure clear access for emergency services.

"Proper planning saves lives."

A police spokesperson said on Monday that they had dispersed attenders and had no further comment.