A BARNOLDSWICK music festival has been given a licence to help stop a repeat of drunken behaviour which occurred at last year’s bank holiday event.

Concerns have been raised over Bands On The Square, a three-day festival which has been held in the town square in May for the last six years.

Around 30 musicians performed live on the town square stage and more than 2,000 people visited last year’s festival.

Police said there were problems with some drunken guests, who have been allowed to bring their own alcohol to the festival since it started in 2012.

Festival organisers submitted a premises licence application to Pendle Council to allow the temporary sale of alcohol in Barnoldswick Town Square between 11am and 11pm for the duration of the festival, which runs from Saturday, May 26, to Monday, May 28.

It has been approved, allowing them to control the sale and consumption of alcohol in the town square.

Some residents have taken issue with the return of the festival, complaining of loud music and drunk people who leave the town square dirty and smelling of vomit, urine and alcohol.

However, organiser Cllr David Whipp, defended the festival and said: “There is huge support for the event among town people who attended and there have been relatively few problems associated with it.

“The licence application for this year’s event is to try to mitigate the issues that there were last year where we had an increasing number of people from out of town. The event up to now has been based on bringing your own beer and that’s brought its problems.”

PC Nigel Keates, from the neighbourhood policing team, said the police have had to deal with assaults and alcohol-related problems at the festival.

He said: “We had to deal with a number of issues last year, but this year security is being upped and we are looking to get more officers there to increase our numbers and make people feel safe and reassured.”