Mathew Street Festival To Face Investigation

The cancelled Mathew Street Festival in Liverpool will face a full independent investigation, according to the leader of Liverpool City Council.

As we reported yesterday, the festival – which was due to open the city’s 800th birthday celebrations on the August Bank Holiday weekend – was cancelled amid health and safety fears.

Much of the area where the festival is due to take place is currently undergoing extensive regeneration as the city gets set to become Capital of Culture in 2008.

The council explained yesterday that the building work posed an “extensive” risk to the public.

Today (August 3rd), however, councilor Warren Bradley – who is currently on holiday – has said that when he went away he was “adamant” that the event would be going ahead.

He added to the BBC that when he returns he’ll launch a series of meetings into the cancellation to find out “why senior members of the council, including myself, were not informed.”

Councillor Bradley continued: "I am adamant that an alternative venue should be sorted to ensure that the festival event is staged over the bank holiday weekend. I see no reason why these issues can not be overcome."