We live next to Glastonbury… the free tickets are great – but there are BIG downsides | The Sun

RESIDENTS living next to Glastonbury say the free tickets are great – but there are big downsides.

The sleepy Somerset village of Pilton has pretty stone cottages and fewer than a thousand locals.

But 200,000 visitors descend on a field next to it every summer for the star-studded Glastonbury Festival – with locals complaining that they have nowhere to park their cars and are kept up until 3am by blaring music.

Mikhael Nyblom, 75, said: "We are told we must move our cars to let traffic through.

"But it’s difficult to find other convenient places, especially if you have someone like builders working on your house, or a lay-by like the one I have outside.

"You can hear the festival going on, which is expected and fine before midnight.

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"But when it’s 3am and people are still partying it’s not acceptable, you can still hear it – especially depending on the way the wind is blowing.

"It’s a small price to pay to get free tickets I suppose, and we do enjoy going most years."

Another resident said: "Twenty or thirty years ago festival week was absolute chaos.

"The traffic blocked the streets of the village, and you couldn’t get out of your house to get to work.

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"People were abandoning cars to get into the festival and jumping through hedges, so they didn’t have to pay. It’s much better now the fences are up.

"They do come down into the village but don’t bother us too much and are generally well-behaved and respectful.

"The Eavis family put a lot of effort into making sure the residents aren’t disturbed."

John Pratt, 76, said: "When I first came here, I remember there were people walking the streets carrying cider or beer.

"It could be a bit scary because you weren’t quite sure if they were going to be friendly or not.”

A local man in the nearby village of Ashcott was reportedly held up at knifepoint by some festival-goers and had his arm broken as they tried to steal his car.

John said: "Things improved after the meeting and the organisers agreed to put the fence up.

"There were a few incidents of people driving their car into it, to try to gain entry, but they weren’t successful.

"It means any ‘untowards’ are mostly kept out, and legitimate people can enjoy the festival while residents feel much safer."

Another resident said: "The Eavis family are lovely and do a lot for the village, but I don’t think they realised how big it would become.

"They had to address the problems as they came along, responding to our concerns as best they could.

"It’s pretty well run now and causes barely any problems."

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Mum Flo Sumner, 27, said: "We’ve enjoyed quite a few festivals and most of the community appreciate the work that goes into making us feel involved and welcome.

"We also feel completely safe during the festival because there is much security around at this time of the year."

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