A MAN who was arrested by police on suspicion of drug driving during an illegal horse racing event on the A33 has been ‘released under investigation’.

Police made the decision not to close down the event, which saw approximately 200 members of the travelling community gather over Saturday and Sunday (May 1 and 2).

In a statement, Hampshire Constabulary responded to concerns raised by members of the public that the event was going ahead.

It read: “Our officers have been capturing evidence to investigate and deal with any offences not dealt with at the time, and a 33-year-old man from London was arrested on suspicion of drug driving yesterday (1 May). We also seized three vehicles as part of our policing response and we will continue to investigate any other matters that arise.

“This is an illegal sporting event, and we do not support or facilitate it; however our primary role as the police is to protect the lives and safety of those that we serve. In order to do this the decision was made to put lane closures in place on the A33 and this was done for road safety reasons only.”

Now, a spokesperson has confirmed to the Advertiser that the man arrested has been released under investigation, but were unable to give any more details at this time.

He said: “He was released under investigation, pending further police enquiries. There are no further updates at this stage.”