Having deliberated long and hard over recent weeks, it is with a heavy heart that Glastonbury Town Council has announced that this year's Frost Fayre has been cancelled due to the coronovirus pandemic.

The annual event held on the last Saturday in November provided a spectacle which last year attracted more than 200 stall holders.

With five live stages of entertainment and music, together with a static display of vintage equipment, the whole of Glastonbury for one day of the year attracts many thousands of people and virtually comes to a standstill.

The town clerk, Gerard Tucker, said: "The safety of all involved is of paramount importance and unless we can safely put in place measures to appropriately reduce the risk of spreading the virus, we have to do the right thing and postpone this years event."

An application for a road closure has to be made many months prior to the event and those who have previously attended will acknowledge, the organisation of the Frost Fayre is an enormous task.

In conjunction with Mendip District Council, the introduction of a shopping app is being explored in anticipation that people will continue to visit Glastonbury both in person and through virtual means to do their Christmas shopping.