New T in the Park apology after thousands more stuck at Strathallan

Organisers blame ground conditions for mayhem that left revellers stranded

Chaotic scenes struck T in the Park for another day as revellers leaving the site were stuck for hours.

A spokesperson for the festival apologised again to thousands of motorists at the Strathallan Castle site in Perthshire during traffic mayhem.

While organisers put the shambles yesterday down to “challenging ground conditions” hundreds of online complainers blamed the difficulties on staging the event in the “wrong place” with “shocking organisation”.

Vehicles were found in muddy ditches yesterday morning with some drivers understood to have contributed to problems by trying to use the wrong exits.

Festival-goers were offered the opportunity to go back to the campsite for food and to use a toilet. However, many chose to relieve themselves at the roadside.

A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson confirmed organisers DF Concerts will have to reapply for a public entertainment licence if they wish to hold the event at Strathallan next year.

They said: “A new application will be required for any future events and this will be determined by the council’s licensing committee if and when an application is submitted.”

Conservative MSP Liz Smith called for a major review.

She said: “One of the greatest concerns was the issue of access for T in the Park moving to Strathallan Castle.

“It was not unexpected that there were going to be potential transport difficulties given the narrow country roads leading to and from the site. These are exactly the kind of issues which were flagged up months ago when many people warned of the unsuitability of the surrounding road system at Strathallan.”

Festival director Geoff Ellis apologised for the traffic delays for vehicles coming in and out of the drop off points.

He said: “Years of infrastructure and tried and tested plans at Balado means that our audience is used to a very quick exit from the site – which is not the norm for most other major events.

“We’ll take learnings from this year and will work on improving the times for the future.”

On Saturday the body of Andrew West, 36, from the north of England, was discovered in a portable toilet block at the site.

Police said officers were treating the death as “unexplained” and it is believed it could be drug related.

On Sunday a man was taken to hospital after being knocked down by a bus. It is understood he is in a critical but stable condition.

ggibson@thecourier.co.uk

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