Police have vowed to prosecute the organisers of an illegal rave that was broken up by officers on Saturday night.

The group had forced entry into the former Yorkshire Building Society offices in the High Point building, Westgate, Bradford, and were rigging up a sound system when police swooped.

The event had seen about 500 youngsters, mostly from Manchester, arrive in the city on coaches. A police spokesman said: “Just before 11pm large numbers of people were identified as arriving in Bradford.

“Organisers had forced entry into a building near Fulton Street with the intention of holding a dance event.”

The spokesman said when the police arrived the organisers closed the event down voluntarily. Police said members of the crowd were good-natured, but officers made three arrests for minor public order offences.

The spokesman said: “The people attending were dispersed. They were taken into the city centre awaiting transportation.

“The police response was quite proportionate. We don’t believe it was organised by a Bradford-based group, we were the unfortunate recipients of somebody else’s search for a venue.”

Superintendent Angela Williams said: “We are looking to prosecute the organisers. We will take proactive and robust action against people who organise these events.”

A witness said: “The police were extremely professional. The music inside was so loud and was driving everyone wild. Speaking to people, some had come from as far as London.”

One person has been charged with a public order offence and two others have been released.