Island music festival cancelled

Kasabian headlined last year's Skye festival

This year's Isle of Skye music festival has been cancelled after the organisers racked up £500,000 in debts, BBC Scotland has learned.

The festival was launched in the summer of 2005 and attracted some of Britain's biggest bands to Ashaig airstrip near Broadford.

The festival was voted the UK's most fan-friendly in 2006.

However, it has emerged some musicians and suppliers have yet to be paid for their work at last year's event.

The festival organisers had spent large amounts of money in order to attract bands such as Kasabian, Primal Scream and KT Tunstall.

But crowds were much lower than had been anticipated, leaving the festival with a £500,000 shortfall. Administrators have now been called in.

John Gilbertson, director of the festival, admitted: "We jumped out of our league. The festival was expecting 8,000 people a day and we managed half that."

There has been a boom in outdoor festivals in the Highlands in recent years, with events like Rock Ness, on the banks of Loch Ness, attracting the biggest crowds.

Local musician and businessman Arthur Cormack said he hoped a smaller event could be held on the airstrip in the future.

Mr Cormack added: "I think it is possible to put on something that has a good mix of music that would still be attractive to the audience, but on a smaller scale."