Boardmasters festival crowd surge causes injuries

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A crowd surge at a music festival has left a “small number“ of people injured with some requiring hospital treatment, police said.

The incident happened on Friday in Newquay at the Boardmasters music festival.

One woman, who described the incident as "terrifying", said she and her daughter were crushed against the barriers during the crush. Another parent said their "distressed" son had left the festival early.

Devon and Cornwall Police said none of the injuries were considered to be serious.

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The woman who was crushed against the barrier said she "heaved" her daughter out of the crush and then "pulled myself out".

Reunited with her husband and younger daughter outside, the family eventually decided to leave the festival altogether, she told the PA news agency.

"My daughters were terrified," she added.

Another parent told BBC Radio Cornwall their son, aged 19, left the festival early following the crush.

James Thompson said his son rang him at about 22:30 BST on Friday and said people were "visibly distressed" in the surge, adding some people had suffered "what seemed like broken legs".

Mr Thompson said his son, who attended Boardmasters with friends, has been to other festivals and has always "had a good time".

"They are distressed about what happened," he said.

"They just decided to come home because they're not sure if it's going to happen again today."

Lucy, a concerned parent from Devon, described the scene as "bedlam".

She said organisers need to make the event "safer for festival-goers".

"It didn't feel safe, it didn't feel staffed," she said.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the incident was "isolated", with festivities continuing.

"The injured parties were treated on-site by medical staff and a small number were taken to hospital to be checked over for minor injuries," the force added.

A planned set by DJ and producer Sammy Virji was cancelled.

"Sammy Virji's set was cancelled this evening to allow our on-site teams to respond to a crowd surge," Boardmasters said in a statement on X.

"No serious injuries have been reported and our pit and medical teams responded immediately to assist those involved.

"Safety is our number one priority and we thank Sammy and our audience for their understanding. All other stages have been unaffected and performances continue as planned."

DJ Sammy Virji said he was "gutted" to have his set cancelled, but said "safety should always come first".

"The stoppage was completely out of my hands and hope you all understand the festival needed to prioritise everyone's wellbeing. Hopefully catch you all soon at another set," he said in a post on Instagram.

A record number of 58,000 attendees are expected to visit the festival this year as it features lead artists Chase & Status, Sam Fender and Stormzy.