Police and council officers intervened to prevent illegal beach gatherings in Pembrokeshire over the past two weekends, it has been revealed.

Officers from Dyfed-Powys Police, together with Pembrokeshire County Council's public protection division, responded to information that a sizeable event was to be held at Poppit Sands in the north of the county on the weekend of June 20 and 21 and at Bosherston in the south last weekend (June 27 and 28).

The council's head of public protection, Mark Elliott, said: "With the close co-operation of other agencies, we were able to put into place very quickly the necessary enforcement and practical measures to disperse any crowds safely and swiftly.

"These events are not just about public nuisance from loud music and the significant distress to the community. We know from experience that they draw individuals who are looking to exploit young persons in an unsafe environment and they can rapidly escalate into a disorderly and disruptive occasion.

"With the tourist season started, we would urge all landowners once again to be extra vigilant and to report immediately any suspicious activity to the police or the county council's public protection division.

"We rely on the eyes and ears of the local communities in telling us what is happening in their area."

Inspector Dave Sweet, of Dyfed-Powys Police, commented: "Unlicensed events such as these can cause a huge amount of disturbance and annoyance to the local community.

"On this occasion, we worked closely with our partners in the local authority to prevent the event from taking place. The use of websites such as Facebook to advertise these illegal events often results in rapid mass circulation and uncontrollable attendance of many hundreds of people.

"Over 300 people were expected to attend this event and the small community around Poppit would have been overwhelmed."