Storm Lillian causes Leeds festival havoc as tents blown away and gigs axed

Tents were blown away and Portaloos knocked over as Storm Lilian battered a major UK festival. Leeds Festival bosses were forced to shut two stages on Friday afternoon, axing several performances amid safety fears.

Ticket-holders yet to arrive on the second day of the festival were told to stay away until the wind calms down. Pictures from the site at Bramham Park - on the outskirts of the West Yorkshire city - show the havoc caused by winds of around 60mph.

One festivalgoer, an 18-year-old woman attending for the first time, said she'd been left gutted by performances being cancelled.

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She said: "It's been really annoying, there were people we wanted to come and see on the main stage that we're not going to be able to see now. I don't know how quickly they'll be able to fix the stages, so it's a worry that we might miss other artists.

"We've been up since 6am to make sure the tents stay secure, waiting for them to give us information. We've been sat in the campsite all day.

"Thankfully, we've not lost any belongings, but we've seen a lot of tents blown away though, a lot of people's tents have collapsed and a lot of people are sat on their collapsed tents so they don't blow away.

"I'm here with a group of friends and it's our first time at Leeds, we had high hopes but it's been a bit of a let down so far because of the weather."

However, not everybody's spirits were dampened, as photographs show glammed-up teens arriving for the Bank Holiday bonanza. Some were seen braving the high winds in leopard print bikini tops and short skirts.

Elsewhere, tents have been blown away at Creamfields festival near Warrington, Cheshire, as the storm ravaged. Winds were so strong that video captured by a member of staff camping at the site shows an empty tent being blown into the air by the gusts.

The worker told the Warrington Guardian: "I slept fine myself, although it was raining overnight. The storm hit at around 5.30am this morning, and everyone woke up to try to hold onto their tents.

"Some had to leave their tent to sleep in their cars as their tents were too damaged. Some staff have also cancelled their shift here and left."

Another video shared online shows tents snapped by the high winds shortly after 6am. Festivalgoers can be heard screaming as they try to keep hold of their tents and a reveller runs around the site dressed as a dinosaur.

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