Mela cancelled over 'rising' cost

An Asian cultural festival in Berkshire has been cancelled with just one month's notice due to costs.

Slough Mela, the town's largest annual Asian festival, will not now take place on 20 July as had been planned.

Organiser Ashik Abdiali has blamed the cost of policing, "ever increasing" road signage costs and the lack of a local authority grant for the decision.

The local Safety Advisory Group, which monitors public events, said the decision was a commercial one.

Businessman Mr Abdiali said Slough Borough Council wanted to charge £11,000 for extra road signs and police wanted £32,000 for policing the event.

He said a lot of planning had gone into the event but it was impossible to continue.

"We are naturally disappointed that the organisers have made a commercial decision not to run the Mela this year"
Slough Borough Council

Slough Borough Council said the organisers had sent an e-mail to the Safety Advisory Group - made up of the emergency services and local authority - informing them of the decision, but no reason was given.

"We are naturally disappointed that the organisers have made a commercial decision not to run the Mela this year," it said.

Supt Graham Bell, of Thames Valley Police, said: "It is the responsibility of the event organisers to ensure the safety of those attending the event.

"It is very common for police forces to charge for policing services, and there is ACPO guidance on this."

Organisers said they still hoped to stage a Mela in Slough in 2009.

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