DARLINGTONS annual food festival could be cancelled unless a new sponsor is found.

The first event in 2008 attracted 25,000 people, who spent the weekend enjoying the pick of local produce and international cuisine served up by star chefs including TV cook Lesley Waters.

But controversy surrounded last years show when a last ditch decision to charge an entry fee put off many punters, leaving angry stall holders out of pocket.

Now organisers have admitted that the festival could be abolished altogether after sponsorship from NHS Darlington came to an end.

Mike Crawshaw, Darlington Borough Councils cultural services manager told a meeting at the town hall that the events future is in doubt.

Asked if it will go ahead this year, he replied: We certainly cant guarantee it because of the funding arrangements We havent secured a principal sponsor so that is a major pressure.

Obviously within the budget the whole events package is under pressure now.

At this moment in time the event would have to look very different to previous years.

Members of the resources scrutiny committee were discussing the problems with last years event.

Conservative Councillor Alan Coultas led the criticism by calling for celebrity chefs to be cancelled at future shows to save money. Last years headline chef Paul Rankin cost the council 4,000.

I think this is an important project for the town but there are big lessons to be learned from the horrendous last year, he said.

If we are going to hold cookery lessons, why spend money on celebrity chefs? Why not use the talent we have, there are lots of good chefs in the town.

This cult of celebrity as the big attraction - we have got to look at that again.

Coun Ian Haszeldine, the Labour chairman of the committee, said the council should consider holding the festival alongside the popular continental market this year.

That is a big event which brings a lot of people to the borough, he said.

If we tied that together with the food festival it would be a spectacular event.

We wouldnt need to worry about sponsorship so much if it was tied together with a successful event anyway.