MUSIC lovers in Derwentside have slammed a decision to cancel an annual festival that last year attracted 10,000 people.

Derwentside District Council made the decision to cancel Allensford Festival following advice from Maff officials who said the foot-and-mouth risk was too great.

Instead of a major regional festival, music fans might be able to see bands at a number of smaller events now planned in the district.

John Kearney, of Northern Recording, the Consett-based studio that helps organise the Allensford Park event, said the festival will return next year.

He said: "The council made the decision to postpone the event last month. From our point of view the council has been too cautious in postponing because of foot-and-mouth, which was a problem much earlier this year.

"It has built up over the last eight or nine years. From 200 local people in the first year it grew to over 10,000 in the pouring rain last year. The year before that I think we had about 15,000.

"It is a significant regional live music event with regional and national acts from across the boards. It is a genuine family show.

"It had really started to establish itself, but this has done it no good at all."

Last year chart-topping band Atomic Kitten took centre stage, while North-East giants Lindisfarne have played in the past.

With jazz, folk, country, blues and pop on the play-list, music lovers in Derwentside and across the region regarded the August Bank Holiday event as a highlight in their calendar.

The level of interest was so great that special free buses were laid on last year to get people to the festival from Consett.

Steve Howell, the council's head of leisure services, admitted cancelling the show was a 'particular disappointment,' but vowed to provide alternative entertainment over the Bank Holiday weekend.

He said: "Maff recommended we postpone the show because it's within a three-kilometre radius of a foot-and-mouth outbreak. Also there's an incubation period of about six months, so having thousands of people stomping about in fields was out of the question.

"Allensford will be back next year and we're looking at trying other smaller attractions over that weekend.

"You never know - they might become just as, if not even more, popular."