Legal Threat over festival

A WEEKEND-long music festival is to go ahead today. despite being declared illegal.

Musicians are travelling to a remote hill farm in Weardale, Co. Durham, from New Orleans and parts of Europe for the Thimbleberry Music Festival.

Defient organiser Andy Norman says it's too late to pull the plug on the festival at Thimbleby Hill Farm because up to 1,000 revellers are on their way. Despite last minute talks between Mr. Norman, 48, his neighbours and environment officials, Wear Valley district Council refused to grant the event an entertainment licence. They say the event sparked complaints about noise in previous years.

But Mr Norman said" My neighbours did express concerns about the noise, but after I gave them assurances it would not go on all night, they withdrew their objections."

Tom Carver, head of public protection at the council, said: "Should the event take place, it will do so illegally. Monitoring will take place with a view to taking appropriate action, possibly involving illegal proceedings."

The Journal 23 June 2006