Festival goers have described the campsites at Reading festival as a ‘war zone’, with several fires taking place over the course of the weekend.
The threats of fire and destruction were heard among the various campsites on Sunday with anti-social behaviour breaking out from 4:30pm August 28.
Thames Valley Police have confirmed that at that point ’50 people were ejected from the site and were ‘safeguarded by festival organisers’.
According to social media, many parents received phone calls on Sunday evening (28/8) as people made the decision to leave early.
A twitter post from @farmerteale said: “Got a call last night from my son & friends asking to come and pick them up early from#readyfestival2022. They said it was no longer safe being there with tents being set on fire. Such a shame as up until then they had been loving it.”
Another twitter user said that her daughter described her horror at the ‘fires, spiking and people passed out everywhere.
Got a call last night from my son & friends asking to come pick them up early from #readingfestival2022 . They said it was no longer safe being there with tents being set on fire. Such a shame as up until then they had been loving it. @OfficialRandL #Reading
— Michelle farmer (@farmerteale) August 29, 2022
Multiple videos on social media showed fire’s being lit throughout the campsites. Festival goers can be seen throwing items into the blaze while many looked on in horror.
Bit late for that... pic.twitter.com/B03Ft8ugWs
— Dan_W (@Dan_Wing_) August 29, 2022
Replying to the organisers, Chloe @Simple3xistance said: “People were literally fearing for their lives! I’d rather get the hell out of there than pic it up and try dragging that to the car!”
A statement from Thames Valley Police said: "No arrests made, but fifty people were ejected from the site. Those ejected were safeguarded by the festival organisers, Thames Valley Police, and British Transport Police to ensure they could get home safely."
One person said on social media that the latest Netflix Woodstock '99 documentary 'Trainwreck' may have been a catalyst which inspired such destructive behaviour.
We have contacted the organisers of Reading Festival for a comment on the events over the course of the weekend.
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