A SEASIDE food festival has been cancelled to support national efforts to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus.

Durham County Council officials this morning said they had taken the sad but necessary decision to call off Seaham Food Festival, which was due to take place in the town on Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14.

The decision is in line with the Government’s rules on social distancing and follows the announcement that Bishop Auckland Food Festival will not go ahead next month.

Traders, partners, guests and sponsors have all been informed of the decision and those that had booked stalls will be refunded.

Launched last year, Seaham Food Festival brings together culinary heroes, food lovers and families on County Durham’s heritage coastline.

The inaugural event last year had to be cut from two days to one, after strong winds and torrential rain left Durham County Council with no choice but to cancel the first day.

However, it still saw 14,000 people flock to the town- boosting the local economy by tens of thousands of pounds.

Gill O’Neill, the council’s acting head of culture, sport and tourism, said: “We have been monitoring the rapidly changing situation and guidance on Coronavirus extremely closely. This includes regularly reviewing our events programme and, it is with great regret, that we have decided to cancel Seaham Food Festival.

“This decision was not taken lightly, as we were looking forward to building upon the success of last year’s festival. We know how important events like these are to the county’s economy and the food producers that support it.

“However, our foremost concern is that the festival does not put at risk the health of our visitors, traders, chefs, partners, sponsors, event staff and volunteers. We must follow the Government’s guidance and if by making this decision we can help to slow the spread of Coronavirus and relieve the pressure on our emergency services, it is the right action to take.

“We remain committed to promoting County Durham’s wonderful food industry and look forward to working with traders and producers in the future.”

The council’s events programme remains under review and further changes will be made if and when necessary.

For details and advice visit durham.gov.uk/coronavirus Advice for businesses and employees in County Durham can be found at durham.gov.uk and at businessdurham.co.uk/news-events-county-durham/covid-19-information