A FAMILY festival has been cancelled for the third year running, after fears were raised over road safety.

The Allensford Festival, which attracts thousands of visitors, was due back this August Bank Holiday after a two-year absence.

Earlier this year the Safety Advisory Group, made up of the emergency services and hghways experts, urged organisers Derwentside District Council to adopt a park and ride scheme. But council bosses ignored their pleas.

So last week an application for an entertainment licence for the event was turned down after the police objected on the grounds of safety.

Chief Insp Dave Hogg, of Derwentside Police, said: "They chose to pull a fundamental recommendation from our safety advice. If those recommendations are adopted by the council, then we will withdraw our objection."

Fears centred around traffic having to cross the busy A68 road to access the Allensford Park site.

Council leader Alex Watson said the cost of a park and ride scheme was too high, but the council had planned to put on some extra buses.

He said: "This was a highway problem that could have been resolved with a police presence."

The festival was cancelled in 2001 due to the foot-and-mouth epidemic. In 2002 the council failed to win National Lottery cash to fund it.