LEICESTERSHIRE (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The Download Festival at Donington Park, Leicestershire, ended with some trouble over the weekend, as a series of small fires were lit in the camping areas, and resistance to security officers and police forced a dozen arrests.
“There were 75,000 people per day at the event, and up until last night, there had been no major incidents over the weekend,” Festival Director Stuart Galbraith, managing director of Live Nation UK, said. “The trouble involved a small number of otherwise fantastic customers who attended this massively successful event. This type of trouble is very rare and is completely out of character for Download fans.”
Arrested fans were charged with crimes such as assault and property damage. No injuries were reported.
Superintendent Paul Smith, of the Leicestershire Constabulary’s North Area, said “The Festival has been relatively trouble-free all weekend and this incident has marred an otherwise peaceful and enjoyable event. The disorder involved a number of people and it is not clear at thus early stage what sparked the trouble. A full investigation is already under way to establish exactly what happened and to assess the extent of crime and the identity of any offenders.”
He continued, saying, “Officers and organisers are speaking to people who are still on site to take witness statements to help piece together last night’s events. We know that most people were not involved in the trouble but they may have important information so we are appealing to anyone who witnessed the disorder and anyone who may have been the victim of crime to come forward and talk to us as soon as possible. Some people may have recorded events on their mobile phones and this evidence could prove vital to our investigation. Anyone who has footage or information is asked to get in touch with us.”
Festival organizers are working with the local police and are looking at video surveillance to pinpoint suspects. Discussions are underway regarding the implementation of preventive measures for future events. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
