Festival cancelled due to asbestos at aquadrome

There are five stages at the annual Rickmansworth Canal Festival

Rickmansworth Canal Festival has been cancelled this year due to concerns about buried asbestos at the nature reserve where the event is held.

A recent survey revealed there was more of the material at Rickmansworth Aquadrome, Hertfordshire than previously thought.

Organisers said a new "no-dig" policy made the festival unworkable.

Three Rivers District Council said the site was still safe to use and events could continue, under restrictions.

The festival - one of largest water-based festivals in the UK - has been running at the site for 30 years.

Money previously raised from the event funded educational programmes for children and supported the Rickmansworth Waterways Trust charity.

The event has been running for 30 years beside the Grand Union Canal

Festival organiser David Montague told the BBC: "From our charity's perspective it is impractical, dare I say impossible, for us to run the event.

"We can't fix large marquee structures, the stage structures, we can't put anything into the ground.

"They've also discouraged us strongly from driving on the surface."

He added adhering to new restrictions set in a council management plan could cost the charity "thousand of pounds".

The lakes were created when gravel was removed to make the original Wembley Stadium

Material containing asbestos was placed at the aquadrome in the 1920's when gravel was removed to build the original Wembley Stadium.

There were no records detailing how much, or where the material was, but it has always been known that asbestos was present.

'Safe environment'

A survey for Three Rivers District Council has now shown that asbestos was buried across the site and in some areas it was found to be protruding from the ground.

The findings prompted the local authority to issue its site-wide "no-dig" policy, in a bid to prevent the material from being disturbed.

Three Rivers District council said: "The aquadrome remains a safe environment for general day-to-day use by the public and can still be used for leisure, such as dog walking, picnics, and water-based activities.

"Events can still go ahead at the aquadrome; however, they must abide by the requirements of the asbestos management plan."

The local authority says water-based activities are safe, despite the asbestos on site

Three Rivers District Council has offered the festival financial support to try to help it go ahead this year.

The authority said the cost of cleaning up the asbestos was too prohibitive and therefore it would continue to monitor the asbestos on the site.