Festival gets rid of old guard to keep order
Security switch at annual rock spectacular after complaints of thuggery
NEW security arrangements will be in place at this weekend's Leeds Festival following allegations of thuggish behaviour by guards at last year's rock bash.
A number of angry concertgoers contacted the YEP after the 2005 event, which was marred by what police described as "low level" disorder on its final night.
The fans claimed that, despite playing no part in the trouble, they were held against their will for several hours in a sealed-off field at the Bramham Park site, near Wetherby.
During that time, it was alleged, security staff repeatedly pushed, hit and kicked their "prisoners," and hurled foul-mouthed abuse at anyone who tried to reason with them.
Now festival organiser Mean Fiddler has admitted the behaviour of a handful of guards last summer was "unacceptable."
It has also revealed a different security firm is being used at this year's event, which starts on Friday.
At the same time, Mean Fiddler is stressing that crowd members who step out of line will continue to face swift action.
People caught throwing missiles or starting bonfires will be evicted from Bramham Park and banned from future festivals.
Emergency
Their details will also be passed to the police, who - undercover officers aside - are expected to stay away from the country estate unless called in to deal with a major emergency.
The annual festival was dogged by violence during a four-year stay at its old home of Temple Newsam, in east Leeds.
In 2002, a 200-strong mob went on a three-hour wrecking spree which caused £250,000 worth of damage and left more than 40 people injured.
The concerts moved to Bramham Park the following year, and since then have passed off relatively peacefully.
Last summer's disturbances were on a far smaller scale than those witnessed at Temple Newsam, and led to just five arrests.
Nearly 70,000 revellers are set to attend the three-day music extravaganza, which will feature top names like Franz Ferdinand, Pearl Jam, Arctic Monkeys and Leeds's own Kaiser Chiefs.
Motorists are being warned of possible lengthy delays as fans start making their way to the Bramham Park campsites tomorrow.
Routes likely to be hardest hit include the A63, A64 and the A6120 outer ring road.
For further traffic information, visit the http://www.highways.gov.uk website or call the Highways Agency on 08457 504030.
