Festival lodges extra tickets bid

Organisers want to raise capacity to 85,000 from 2011

Reading Festival organisers have asked the council permission to sell 6,500 extra tickets over the next two year.

Organiser Melvin Benn wants to raise this year's capacity of 78,500 ticketholders and 4,999 guests to 82,000 next year and 85,000 from 2011.

But local resident groups have raised concerns over an increase in noise and nuisance from extra music fans.

The council will vote on the idea on Friday. This year's event will feature the Arctic Monkeys over 28-30 August.

Mr Benn is also asking for the number of "early arrivals" permitted to be increased from 7,500 to 20,000.

These allow festival-goers to enter the site at 1800 BST on the Wednesday instead of Thursday.

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