Festival-goers praise Boardmasters improvements

Thousands of people attended this year's Boardmasters in Newquay

Festival-goers have said they felt Boardmasters had improved from last year - including feeling safer.

Thousands of people headed to Newquay's Watergate Bay for the surfing and music festival from Wednesday until Sunday, which saw Raye, Central Cee and The Prodigy headlining.

Ahead of the event, organisers said they had increased security measures - including more police patrols - in an effort to improve safety, after seven people were hurt during a crowd surge last year. People heading home on Monday said they had noticed the changes, which helped give the event a good vibe.

Chief executive Andrew Topham said he was proud of the work done by the event team over the year-round planning process.

Charlie (left) and Iggy say the organisation of the festival felt better this year

Friends Charlie, 19, and Iggy, 18, from London, said they had seen and heard of issues involving anti-social behaviour at the site, including tents being damaged.

But they said the organisation felt "so much better" than last year's festival.

"I thought security was way better this year, especially on Sunday night, which is normally a rough night," Charlie said.

Iggy added: "The security was really good and, if it hadn't been there on Sunday night, it could have got a bit crazy."

Ella had travelled from Kent with a group of friends to attend the event and said it felt like the "safest and cleanest" festival she had been too.

The 18-year-old said there had been a lot of security around the site and she did not notice any issues such as drink-spiking.

She added: "We've had five days of fun and five days of carnage and now I'm going to go home and sleep for three days straight."

Jess (left) and Emily say there were some "iffy" moments but they felt safe in general

Jess and Emily had come to Boardmasters from Guernsey and said they felt security guards did all they could to make everyone feel safe.

"On the second day at about two in the morning, it felt a bit iffy, but after that it was fine," Jess said.

She added: "There were a few moments where I felt a bit unsafe, but it's not the security's fault as it's hard to manage that many people."

Emily added at one point, she and Jess had to do some repairs on their tent after someone got pushed into it, but that was the only issue they had.

"There was a lot of security and loads on the campsites, but also during the acts as well," she said.

"They'd come round and give us water at the barricade, which was so nice."

Chief executive Mr Topham added: "From the waves at Fistral Beach, to the stages and incredible performances at Watergate Bay, the improvements made and renewed focus on our cultural heritage have been obvious and hugely welcomed.

"Fistral Beach felt like it did in years gone by."