Camp Bestival offers refunds after 2018 weather cancellation

Festival-goers have been offered a refund or a free day ticket to Camp Bestival 2019 after the last day of this year's event was washed out.

Organisers of the event at Dorset's Lulworth Estate closed arenas on the Sunday of the four-day festival in July due to heavy rain and high winds.

The 2019 event had been in doubt after the music festival was forced into administration by creditors.

But it has since been taken over and all 2019 tickets will be honoured.

Festival founders Josie and Rob da Bank explained the delay in offering refunds was due to insurance money and funds from 2019 ticket sales being lost during the administration process.

Camp Bestival has been held at the Lulworth Estate since 2008

Anyone who bought a Sunday 2018 ticket can exchange it for a full refund or apply for a free day ticket to either the Friday, Saturday or Sunday of next year's festival, which will run between 25-28 July.

Those who had a weekend ticket can get a 33% discount on 2019 weekend tickets and will be emailed a special code.

In a statement, the da Banks said: "We fully appreciate just how frustrating and long this process has been for you... and for that we are very sorry.

"The nature of the last few months means that the insurance money that was available to refund 2018 ticketholders, and money from 2019 ticket sales, was entirely lost in the administration.

"The new owners, LN-Gaiety and SJM, understand how unfair this feels and as a result have agreed to fund discounts and refunds for 2018 ticket holders, and will honour all existing 2019 tickets."

Camp Bestival founders Rob and Josie da Bank have been kept on by the new owners

Last month, creditor Richmond Group bought the festival brand and its assets after offering £1.1m.

The stake in the family-friendly festival has since been taken over by Live Nation, which kept the da Banks in place.

Camp Bestival, a family-friendly version of Bestival, has been held at Lulworth Estate in Dorset since 2008.

Organisers have so far declined to comment about the future of Bestival, which relocated to the Lulworth Estate from the Isle of Wight last year.