POLICE are urging members of the public from across Pembrokeshire to help them prevent illegal raves from setting up in their communities.

As part of the operation, called #OpFlamenco, people living in rural communities, including farmers and landowners, are being asked to report anything suspicious to Dyfed-Powys Police.

The information would help police respond swiftly as illegal raves arise and hopefully prevent them from happening or at the very least allow police to respond before they become established.

Superintendent Craig Templeton, head of specialist operations for Dyfed-Powys Police, said: "Raves can cause anxiety to the community they are held in, and if not dealt with swiftly are difficult to stop due to the sheer numbers of people involved. There is also a safety concern involved in breaking-up such events.

"As a force, action is taken as soon as we gather any intelligence of an event being planned. We will continue to respond swiftly to reports of illegal gatherings, and where appropriate will prosecute those responsible in order to protect our communities.

"However, these types of illegal events are carefully co-ordinated to avoid police attention, and organisers will always try to find new ways to avoid being found out.

"We rely on the support of communities to report any suspicious activity immediately, so action can be taken to disrupt illegal gatherings swiftly.

"I would encourage farmers, landowners and local communities to report anything they feel is suspicious or out of the ordinary by calling 101 or emailing contactcentre@dyfed-powys.pnn.police.uk."

Dai Rees, land management team leader from Natural Resources Wales said: "Last year's illegal rave at Brechfa Forest not only caused distress to local people but also required considerable time and money to clean up afterwards.

"We've since taken measures to try and prevent this from happening again, by installing lockable barriers at several access points into the forest. We're also increasing our visits to the forest in the lead up to weekends, making it harder for people to set these raves up.

"We continue to work closely with Dyfed Powys Police and the local community to stop illegal raves from taking place in our forestry. We strongly urge anyone who is concerned about any suspicious activity in their local forest to report it to the Police using the 101 number, or 999 if it's an emergency."