AN ambitious festival showcasing music and green living has been cancelled because of poor advance ticket sales.

The Green Phoenix Festival was to have been held from Thursday to Sunday August 19 to 22 on the National Trust's Gibside Estate, near Gateshead.

It was to have featured a headlining performance by The Wailers, legendary backing band of the late reggae superstar Bob Marley.

Tickets for the event, which the organisers hoped to power with solar and wind energy, cost £99 for adults.

Festival director Jim Lepingwell said, "We recognise that purchasers may have been waiting to buy tickets on the gates, but we could not professionally take the risk to allow suppliers and traders to set up and artists to travel to us without guaranteeing them an audience."

He said all ticket money and deposits "are safeguarded and we are able to completely refund ticket-holders and traders.

"We want to thank everyone who has supported us this year and the team who have worked very hard to put together the amazing event we had planned."

The Wailers will still play in the region, however. They will now appear at The Cluny, Ouseburn, Newcastle, on Sunday August 22 at 8pm.

Tickets cost £16 in advance - £18 on the door but the venue's capacity is only 300 - and are available from www.theheadofsteam.co.uk or call 0191-230 4474.