THE early closure of a Hereford music festival lead to a loss of money, according to one of the organisers.

The Wyeside Music Festival was closed down early Sunday evening after police were called at around 11pm because an allegation of rape was made.

The event, run by Music Matters Hereford, was wound down to allow officers to begin an immediate investigation.

The allegation was later withdrawn but one of the organisers, Steve Symonds, said the situation contributed towards a financial loss for the festival.

"The early closing of the festival not only ruined what up until then had been an amazing day, it has also cost Music Matters greatly," he said.

"People were still entering the festival to catch Alex Paterson's set but were refused entry and our bars were closed early.

"This amounts to a large loss of income. Music Matters is a not for profit organisation, the promoters, organisers and members do not get paid. They are ,however, responsible for any losses."

Mr Symonds estimated that the festival, which took place at the sites of Hereford's rugby and rowing clubs in Wyeside, had made a loss of around £26,000.

"We had about 3,000 people there but needed between 3,500 and 4,000 to cover the costs," he said.

He added that Music Matters Hereford would like to thank festival goers for attending the event.

"Despite cutting the festival short by nearly one hour the audience remained calm and understanding and left the festival site in an orderly manner," he said.

"They also co-operated fully with the police even though many were not sure of why they were being asked to leave.

"Also we would like to thank our security staff and volunteer stewards who did a fantastic job under difficult circumstances.

"Finally we would like to thank our headline acts Hawkwind and Alex Patterson, both were very understanding and bought their shows to a early but controlled close."