Chase gigs hailed a big success

This year's Cannock Chase concerts have been hailed the best ever by organisers.

Paul Weller and Sugababes headlined the gigs at the Forestry Commission's Birches Valley venue to a combined 8,500 fans on Friday and Saturday.

The two concerts are estimated to have been worth up to £100,000 to the local economy. Being held for its fourth year, organisers of the event dropped the traditional Sunday concert for the first time after experiencing difficulty selling sufficient tickets despite booking big names.

Event manager Alaistair Semple, forest planner for the Forestry Commission, said: "It has been the best year yet in terms of access and exiting the site and each year we tweak little things to make things run that little bit more smoothly.

"In terms of volume levels, we were well below the level set by the planning permission and, once again, there were no arrests and the police were very impressed with the organisation of the event."

Mr Semple praised the crowds for their part in making the concerts so enjoyable.

He said: "They were absolutely fantastic. The audiences were very different. Saturday's were much younger and there were lots of families but the atmosphere and the response to the artists was fantastic for both.

"In terms of traffic, we had 5,000 fans here on Friday with about a thousand using the taxi and private vehicle drop-off/pick-up point.

"The last customer was off site in less than an hour. On Saturday, there were around 3,500 fans and 500 using the drop-off/pick-up point so the site was clear much quicker."

Teams continuously emptied bins and litter picked throughout and immediately after the concerts, meaning just three bin bags of refuse needed to be collected on Sunday morning.

Mr Semple said: "With the perimeter fence and low winds, 95 per cent of the rubbish was contained within the auditorium.

He said the area would be completely clear and ready for people to enjoy again by mid-afternoon tomorrow at the latest.