The organiser of a charity barn dance which had to be broken up by police after it turned into an illegal rave has apologised for the disruption caused.

Saturday night’s event, organised by Gus Jones inside a marquee on his dad’s farm at Sherfield English, was meant to raise money for a children’s play area in a neighbouring village.

But the invitation-only event spiralled out of control after details appeared on the internet.

Scores of gatecrashers led to Hampshire’s 999 control room being flooded with calls from angry residents complaining about noise and a trail of smashed bottles around the site.

Paramedics had to deal with numerous drunk party-goers, including a young woman and a 17-year-old boy who were taken to hospital. Police finally closed the dance down at 4am.

Gus, 32, apologised for the chaos, which saw police vans and ambulances descend on Tote Hill.

He said: “I am sorry that the police and the ambulance crews had to waste their time and I am sorry that I upset the neighbours, because it was not what we wanted to do.

“We even sent out leaflets telling them what our aims were in terms of the playground.

“It was so professional and we had spent months organising it. All we wanted to do was raise some money.”

Gus, who lives in West Dean, said he had wanted to raise money for a new children’s play park there, as well as giving local teenagers the chance to help organise and DJ at the event.

He said plans had been progressing “amazingly” – until some of the party-goers posted details of the event online.

He said: “I don’t know how, but it went viral.”

Hundreds of college students from all over the county made their way to the event after details were posted on websites. Many congregated outside the site when they were refused entry.

Police confirmed that word of the event appeared to have gone viral on social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter.

A Hampshire police spokesman told how calls started to come in to police just after 10.45pm on Saturday and they arrived within half an hour to find people still making their way to the site in droves.

A roadblock was set up in Gambledown Lane at its junction with The Banks and Doctors Hill to stop people accessing the area.

Police called for back-up, with more officers and a specialist dog unit deployed to the area. As the situation continued to develop, they ordered the music be turned off and started to disperse the crowds.

Parents of party-goers then began to arrive to collect their offspring – one angry dad allegedly refused to obey a police cordon. He was then arrested and charged with obstructing a police officer in the course of their duty.

Chief Inspector Andy Houghton, police commander for the area, warned the force would take a “robust stance” on any unlicensed music event.

He added: “These type of illegal gatherings cause disruption and distress to local communities and anyone organising or attending such an event runs the risk of gaining a criminal record.

“Those who organise them can be prosecuted and end up with a fine of up to £20,000 and even six months in jail.”

A spokesman for West Dean Playground Committee denied all knowledge of the party, which raised £500.