Leeds Festival: Tents set on fire and rocks thrown

Tents were set on fire and missiles thrown on the last night of Leeds Festival

Tents were set on fire and bottles and rocks were hurled as trouble flared on the final day of the Leeds Festival.

Attendees described seeing people throwing camping chairs on to burning tents and plumes of smoke billowing across the Bramham Park site.

One teenager said he had abandoned the official campsite to avoid the trouble.

West Yorkshire Police said no reports of serious disorder had been received. Organisers Festival Republic have been contacted for comment.

Speaking anonymously, a 16-year-old boy who went to the festival with three friends, said they moved their tent from the Orange Campsite in the early hours of Monday morning.

He said initially there had only been a "few fires" but within 10 minutes "more fires started popping up and the crowds got busier".

"People started throwing tents, chairs and deodorant cans on the fires, which were making the flames go up to about 8ft tall," he told the BBC

"At one point, we were trapped between two fires, which was really stressful, and we decided to pack up all our stuff and leave."

The teenager, from Wetherby, added: "There were people going round with fire extinguishers, but straight away there would just be another fire lit.

"People who had been before said it had never been that bad."

He said "explosions" were going on until about 10:00 BST on Monday.

Plumes of smoke could be seen from areas near the festival in Wetherby

Another festivalgoer, who also asked not to be named, said she could see "black plumes of smoke" from where she was camped and said her son had left the festival early due to the trouble.

"I only saw the fires when I was walking through orange camp, and I just needed to get out of there," she added.

Dylan Westbury, from Bradford, said his two teenage daughters had sent him videos from the festival of burning tents and had described the atmosphere as "extremely frightening as people seemed to be going feral".

In a statement West Yorkshire Police said: "While some reports of anti-social behaviour were received, no reports were made to West Yorkshire Police regarding any serious disorder at the festival during the final night."

David Celino was taken ill at the festival on Saturday night and died in hospital on Sunday

The trouble followed the death of 16-year-old David Celino, from Worsley, Greater Manchester, died after falling ill at the festival, with police suspecting he had taken a particular type of ecstasy.

Melvin Benn, managing director of organisers Festival Republic, said they were working closely with police on the investigation.