Martin Salter, Labour MP for Reading West, and the politician who brought the Rock Festival back to Reading in 1986 has damned as “disgraceful and downright dangerous” the behaviour of hundreds of festival goers on the final Sunday evening for turning an otherwise peaceful 2009 Reading Festival into a fearful fire hazard. Mr Salter has been contacted by festival fans who stayed up all night in the camp site guarding their tents and possessions against drunken mobs who were looking for anything to throw on their bonfires to keep them burning. ‘Rule of the mob’ was one person’s description, and scenes which have been recorded and broadcast on Youtube have, in Mr Salter’s opinion, called into question the crowd’s safety and security measures employed by the organisers - Festival Republic.

Mr Salter has written to Reading Borough Council demanding a meeting with the licensing officers, police and Festival Republic to find out why for a second year running fires were allowed to burn amongst the 80,000 crowd that were camped in his constituency.

Mr Salter said:-

“The 2008 Reading Festival caused much controversy and alarm when on the last evening at the camp sites huge fires were lit, youths were seen throwing petrol and gas canisters onto the flames, and yobs stole tents of other festival goers before using them to keep the fires alight. Sadly, those who worried the same would be true this year have been proved right. Attempts by the organisers at banning gas canisters were clearly ineffective, and tent theft appeared to be a more popular than ever. The Youtube clips that I have seen and the eye witness accounts I have heard confirm that the closing night at Reading Festival has, thanks to the actions of a minority, become a disgraceful and downright dangerous experience for far too many people”.

Mr Salter was Chairman of Reading Borough Council Leisure Committee from 1986 to 1988 and oversaw the return of the Rock Festival to Reading after a 3 year absence.

He added:-

“I am now really worried that these minor riots are becoming both fashionable and an almost expected climax to the last night at the Rock Festival. It really is up to the police, council and festival organisers to take concerted action to root out the troublemakers and restore the reputation of Reading as one of the finest and safest music festivals in the world”. Some festival goers have suggested that the organisers should introduce an ID system similar to Glastonbury so that known troublemakers can be identified, prosecuted and banned for life. With tickets changing hands for sums in excess of £200 I do not believe that the cost of such a scheme need be an issue. These techniques have been used to root out troublemakers from the football terraces so I am sure they can be of benefit in dealing with those irresponsible morons who think it is fun to steal and burn other people’s possessions and to put fellow festival goers in unnecessary danger”.