Rave organisers broke into an empty warehouse to stage a party for almost 300 people.

Police decided against pulling the plug on the party for safety reasons.

Inspector Steve Brookman said: "We often cut off the electricity supply to stop raves but that would have left people inside in the dark without fire exits.

"The organiser was co-operative and we did not receive many complaints because it was well away from houses so we let it carry on."

The party, which had started at 1.30am on Sunday in the warehouse on the Dolphin Industrial Estate, Shoreham, stopped eight hours later as police had requested.

Stephen Owen, who is marketing the 12,000 sqft unit, said roller doors to the property had been welded shut.

He said: "I don't how they got in. They must have had industrial cutting equipment to get the shutters open."