Gatcombe festival: Final day of eventing abandoned

The final day of the Festival of Eventing at Gatcombe Park has been abandoned due to the effects of the adverse weather on Saturday

The finale of an eventing festival cannot go ahead due to an unsafe site, organisers say.

The last day of The Festival of Eventing at Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire, was to take place on Sunday but was cancelled on Saturday due to "adverse weather".

It comes after Storm Antoni brought wind and heavy rain to parts of the country.

In a statement, organisers said the decision came with "deep sadness".

The festival - which takes place on the HRH Princess Royal's estate near Stroud - includes the Magic Millions British Open, which decides the national champion of eventing.

"Despite great efforts from the organising team, the decision has been made to abandon the festival," organisers said.

Saturday's weather meant ground conditions were unsafe for visitors, riders and horses, they added.

Many thousands of spectators were due to attend the final day and organisers said "further information on the refund process will be provided in due course".

"We would like to thank everyone involved in the event for their unwavering support and hard work over the past few days," they added.

The festival was cancelled in 2012 due to bad weather.