Burntwood Wakes axed by bad weather

An annual three-day music and entertainment festival in Staffordshire which attracts around 10,000 people has been cancelled due to the woeful weather.

The Burntwood Wakes has been called off a week before it was due to be held at the town's rugby club because the ground is too soggy to put up the stages.

The popular event, which is in its eighth year at its current venue, was due to go ahead from the Friday to Sunday but organisers said they had no option but to cancel it.

Mary Danby, the clerk at Burntwood Town Council, said: "We have been told there is no hope, we should be putting up the stages from Monday next week but ground is just soaked, it's very sad but we're not the only one, this is happening everywhere."

The Great Yorkshire Show and tomorrow's Hit Factory reunion featuring Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue in London have also fallen victim to the weather. And the annual Cancer Research UK Race for Life charity event at Himley Hall near Dudley has been postponed due to the wet weather.

Burntwood organiser Mrs Danby said: "We have spent the best part of a year organising it and now we need to phone everyone to cancel it."

The rugby club, off the A5195 next to Chasewater, and the town council sought and obtained independent specialist advice on the state of the ground.

The council said the historic festival would be back next year.

More thunderstorms and torrential downpours are forecast across Britain today.

• West Midlands and Staffordshire weather forecast

By Harry Gottschalk