A SOMERSET MP has expressed concern that illegal raves could become frequent if they are not dealt with more swiftly.

The reaction comes following an illegal rave on Exmoor which took place on Easter Sunday, which saw thousands of people descend on a site near Watchet, obstructing the B3224 with hundreds of parked vehicles.

Some sound equipment was seized, and a man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a class A drugs, and assaulting an emergency services worker.

Read more: People 'trapped in houses' as 'several hundred' attend illegal rave in Somerset

Ian Liddell-Grainger, MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset, said the site should be far more effectively secured, whilst nearby farmers and landowners should be ready to call the police at the first sign of an illegal gathering.

"I cannot helping thinking that had a similar event been staged on the outskirts of Bristol the police would have gone in mob-handed and closed the whole thing down,” he said.

“This incident illustrates just how vulnerable rural districts now are to law-breaking activities solely as a result of police cover having been deliberately run down in the countryside for decades.

“We have to get the message out that events of this type will not be tolerated, or else we run the risk of the word getting out that Exmoor is an ideal place to stage them, at which point they could start popping up every week-end.”