Liverpool Mathew Street festival cancelled due to winds

Tens of thousands of people were due to attend the Mathew Street Festival

Liverpool's Mathew Street Festival has been cancelled due to strong winds.

Organisers said they had no option but to call off the event, which tens of thousands of people were due to attend, for safety reasons.

Any indoor events planned at bars in Liverpool will still go ahead but all outdoor performances are cancelled.

Nearby festival Creamfields in Cheshire was also abandoned over the weekend due to heavy rain and flooding.

Councillor Wendy Simon, Liverpool City Council's cabinet member for culture and tourism, said: "It's when you mix rain and heavy wind that you have got the risk of barriers broken down, street signs and the potential for flying objects.

"And when you have got a lot of people in a small place moving quickly you then risk crushing and people being trampled, and we are not prepared to risk that."

The two-day free music event was set to draw more than 300,000 people over Sunday and Monday to watch live bands perform on five stages across the city centre.