Winds of up to 79mph shut down festivals

Southampton Mela's organisers said proceeding with the festival would be "untenable"

Several festivals have been cancelled amid fears over safety during strong winds.

Events across Hampshire, Dorset, Berkshire and the Isle of Wight were called off due to the weather.

Readipop Festival and Isle of Wight Pride are among those events that have been hit by the conditions.

The Met Office had warned of "damage to temporary structures" such as marquees and tents.

Winds on Saturday reached up to 79mph in The Needles in the Isle of Wight, with winds of up to 56mph in Southampton.

Cars leaving Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival earlier on Saturday

Dorset's Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival, which commemorates agricultural labourers, was one of the events cancelled, for the first time.

In a statement, organisers said that "even though the weather is set to improve tomorrow, the rest of the festival will not be going ahead due to the logistical demands of safely resetting the site".

General secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Paul Nowak said "it's just not safe to have thousands of people on site"

Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), said: "Every year we bring thousands of trade unionists across the country to Tolpuddle, but unfortunately this year we've been defeated by the weather."

Readipop Festival, which has been running since 1998, will reopen on Sunday subject to weather conditions. Festival producer Molly Banbury said the closure had been a "really difficult decision".

"We just can't take that risk, unfortunately. The wind could wreak havoc on the temporary structures we have," she added.

Southampton Mela, which was expected to attract 40,000 visitors and have 7,000 volunteers, has had to be postponed until 2024.

Matt Sanger, producer of the festival, said it was a "devastating decision".

"It would have been too dangerous to operate the show. The potential for damage to people would be too great for us to bear," he added.

Beaulieu Fete in Hampshire and Garstonbury in Hungerford, Berkshire, have also been cancelled, while the Stansted Summer Festival was scaled back on Saturday, with outdoor activities postponed until Sunday.

The Met Office has advised the public to "stay indoors as much as possible".

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