A POPULAR family festival has been cancelled for the third year running, after fears were raised over road safety.

The Allensford Festival, which attracts thousands of visitors, was due back this August Bank Holiday, after a two-year absence.

But its growing popularity has seen cars cram the roads leading to the venue. Earlier this year, the Safety Advisory Group, made up of the emergency services and Highways experts, urged organisers Derwentside District Council to adopt a park-and-ride scheme. But council bosses ignored their pleas.

On Thursday last week, the police hit back at a council meeting expected to rubber stamp an entertainment licence for the event. They objected on safety grounds and the licence was turned down, meaning the festival cannot go ahead.

Chief Insp Dave Hogg, of Derwentside Police, said: "They chose to pull a fundamental recommendation from our safety advice. If those recommendations are adopted by the council, then we will withdraw our objection."

Fears centred on traffic having to cross the busy A68 road to get to the Allensford Park site.

Chief Insp Hogg said: "It is an incredibly fast stretch of road.

"I spoke to the officer who policed past events and he said it was more through good luck than good management that we didn't have an officer killed last time, trying to slow down traffic approaching the junction."

In June, council bosses said the festival's future was secure. Council leader Alex Watson said after the meeting: "We are devastated. This was a highway problem that could have been resolved with a police presence. I find it extremely difficult to understand why the police cannot guarantee a 20mph speed limit."

He said the cost of the park and ride scheme was astronomical, but the council had planned to put on extra buses for the event.

The festival was cancelled in 2001 due to foot-and-mouth. Last year the council failed to win National Lottery cash to fund it.

The last festival, in 2000, attracted 15,000 visitors.

The most popular day is Allensford Roots on Monday, organised by Northern Recording, of Consett. It was founded by the late John Kearney, the man who also created the Stanley Blues Festival - which goes ahead this weekend.

Paul Green, of Northern Recording, said the company was disappointed to hear the Allensford Festival had been cancelled.