Eid al-Fitr festival cancelled for safety reasons

A festival to celebrate the end of Ramadan has been cancelled over public safety concerns.

Luton Council said it made the decision following a recommendation from the town's safety advisory group (SAG).

The authority said that in recent years there had been serious incidents and traffic congestion associated with the Inspire Eid event, which was due to take place at Stockwood Park at the end of this month.

It understood that the news was deeply disappointing but "public safety must always be our absolute priority".

SAG comprises representatives from Bedfordshire Police, East of England Ambulance Service, public protection, parks, highways and other relevant council services.

The council said in a statement that Inspire Eid is a major event, which has been growing in popularity, attracting up to 30,000 attendees in some years.

As a result it said there was a need for robust and professional event management arrangements to be in place.

It added that events would only be authorised where the required documentation, infrastructure and safeguards were fully in place and approved through SAG.

Mohammed Tariq, station operation manager for organiser Inspire FM, said: "We are extremely disappointed with the decision to cancel Inspire Eid.

"However, we fully recognise that public safety must always be the priority."

He apologised to families and members of the community who were looking forward to attending and said they would work to bring the event back successfully for Eid in May.

Luton Council said: "We remain committed to working constructively with Inspire FM to explore how the event might take place safely and sustainably in the future."

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.