Wickham Festival 2021: The main stage at the event could be closed this weekend due to safety concerns

It comes as heavy rains have left festival-goers contenting with incredibly muddy conditions as the event opened last night.

The soggy weather also meant that last night’s acts had to be moved from the main stage into covered tents, due to concerns about rain affecting electrical cables.

Now the organisers say the main stage faces further safety checks that could see it closed for the rest of the event.

In a statement, the organisers said: ‘We're very sorry about the rain and mud last night but pleased that so many of you still enjoyed some fantastic live music. We're working our socks off to improve the ground conditions for the rest of the weekend.

‘We do have a problem with the main stage though as we have been badly let-down by the supplier who has failed to deliver the right size stage within the agreed timescale and who has also failed to deliver a safe and structurally sound stage as yesterday's weather showed.

‘We will let you know this morning whether the stage can be made safe to use - we have an independent engineer attending to assess it.’

But the festival will continue, with reassurances that its Big Top Stage remains usable and plans to install large TV screens to aid fans.

The statement added: ‘Festivals do suffer from bad weather - look at Glastonbury - but after 18 months of almost no live music we are determined to give you the best weekend possible even if it is not quite what you and we would like.

‘Please bear with us. We're doing our best and will keep you informed of developments.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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