'˜Army of workers' begin to clean up Southsea after Victorious Festival

The city's beloved open space has been left battered and scarred by the thousands of revellers partying during the festival bonanza.

Heavy rain on Sunday didn't help, leaving the ground a sodden quagmire. But despite the damage to the green area, Portsmouth's culture chief has insisted the Common will be restored to its former glory.

An army of workers, both from Victorious and from the council, were yesterday hard at work beginning the effort to clear the site.

The work is expected to take much of the week. Only once the site has been emptied can council officials assess the full damage.

However, Councillor Steve Pitt insisted: '˜Nobody should be worried about what it looks like now '“ it will all be back in good order soon.'

Organisers from Victorious have pledged to foot the bill to repair the Common. At this stage it is not known how much it will cost to fix the site, Cllr Pitt said.

The Lib Dem added he could not say when exactly the city's open space would be back to normal.

However, he felt confident the team behind the city's premier music event would deliver.

'˜When I went down there Monday morning there was already an army of workers there,' he said. '˜People were everywhere taking the stages apart and clearing it up.

'˜I know from experience it's a well-oiled machine.'

Victorious is working alongside the council, who will be monitoring the progress of the clean-up operation as it continues, Cllr Pitt added.

This year's festival attracted thousands of people.

It's estimated it generated at least £5m for the city's economy.

And this year's line-up featured a top array of world-class music acts.

Everything from British dance act The Prodigy to rockers The Kaiser Chiefs and Libertines lit up the stages.

Blissful sunshine greeted Saturday's event. However, heavy rain derailed some performances on Sunday, forcing some acts to cancel at the last-minute, while others sang in make-shift shelters on the stage.