Calls for inquiry into Fesival No 6 flooding

IQ reports that around 150 cars were still stranded at Festival №6 this morning after becoming stuck following widespread flooding at the Welsh festival. The BBC reported earlier today that many of the remaining vehicles were abandoned by their owners and are expected to be collected later in the week. Gynedd councillor Jason Humphreys has called for an inquiry into why the festival’s park-and-ride car park was allowed to be situated on a known floodplain. “Forecasters gave ample warning of torrential rain on Saturday,” he tells the BBC. “But once again flood management agencies failed in their duty as they seem to be completely unaware of the dangers to people and property.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-37289011

4 dead after Italian festival flash flood

The BBC reports that four people have been killed and at least 20 others injured after a flash flood tore through a festival site in Northern Italy. A mud-filled torrent swept people away late on Saturday night at the festival at Refrontolo, North of Venice, after a burst of very heavy rain meant that wall of water suddenly ripped through the area, also causing local landslides. According to local media, some panic-stricken party-goers managed to cling to trees at the site  at a historic mill house beneath a waterfall while the muddy torrent raged around them, but tragically others were swept to their death in the flood, which also carried away cars and tents. A rescue operation went on throughout the night and with several people missing, divers are continuing to look for more victims.

Isle of Wight looks beyond rain

The Isle of Wight Festival has stepped up its weather defences in light of the floods that caused major problems in 2012, turning car parks into quagmire and leading to log-jammed local roads. Organiser John Giddings told the NME "I've expanded the car parks and created some proper roads into the entrances and exits so I can never have a repeat of what happened last year, where it was so wet the car park entrances collapsed" adding that in 2012  "We had a month's worth of rain in 12 hours. People told me it was freak weather, but we have to prepare ourselves [nevertheless]." The Isle of Wight Festival takes place at Seaclose Park from June 14 to 16 headlined by The Stone Roses, Killers and Bon Jovi.  http://www.isleofwightfestival.com/

IOW faces review after weather chaos

Isle of Wight MP Stuart Love is calling for a review of the way the Isle of Wight Festival is organised and licensed after the chaos caused by the previous week's weather. The Isle of Wight event wasn't the only one hit by the bad weather this weekend: The second day of festivities at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire, due to be headlined by Paul Weller, had to be cancelled over health and safety concerns, in Cumbria the outdoor stages at Cockermouth Live! were cancelled after nearly 10cm of rain fell on Friday, while in Liverpool the Africa Oyé event was called off, though a smaller in-door event featuring many of the festival's line-up was staged.

UK weather causes more problems

Flooding caused chaos for people heading to the Isle of Wight Festival this weekend after heavy rain led to access problems at Seaclose Park, Newport.  The Festival is being headlined by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Pearl Jam, Biffy Clyro, The Vaccines, Elbow and Bruce Springsteen, There has been traffic gridlock on the island with people forced to sleep in their cars overnight. The BBC reported that Police have been escorting motorists stuck in traffic to Newport Football Club where shelter and refreshments are being provided. About 65,000 festival-goers are expected to attend the three-day event. Traffic on many of the island's roads has been at a standstill throughout Thursday and into Friday and hundreds of motorists have been queuing for up to ten hours to access the site and have been left stranded in their vehicles. 

in London it looks like the big BBC Radio 1 Hackney Weekender (with 100,000 people attending over the weekend) with the likes of Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kasabian, Lana Del Ray, Jack White, Florence & The Machine, Ed Sheeran and Professor Green on Saturday and Sunday might escape the worst of the weather as forecasts for the weekend show that London may just escape the heavier rains. Both the Isle of Wight and the BBC plumped for what would have been the 'Glastonbury' weekend which became free as Michael Eavis decided to take one of his regular breaks to rest his land at Worthy Farm. Parts of Scotland and Northern England can expect up to 100mm of rain and there are now nine  flood alerts across the UK including the South West  in the wettest June since record began 230 years ago. The Met Office forecast a fourth wet weekend on the spin, warning of 'showers and longer periods of rain will affect many places,' with blustery winds as well,  forecasting showers followed by a band of rain on Saturday and a washout on Sunday on the North and South coasts, with the Midlands overcast.