A festival organiser who left music fans out of pocket after cancelling a three-day concert in Shrewsbury has been hit with a court order which could see him jailed.
Brian Davies will be closely monitored by Trading Standards officers and could be sent to prison if he fails to refund customers of cancelled events in the future.
Mr Davies has been hit by the order after the cancellation of the Memories of Woodstock festival he was organising at the West Mid Showground last August, which generated scores of complaints from music fans left out of pocket.
The news comes just three weeks before Mr Davies’ company Showtime Music Ltd holds a three-day music event at the showground over the Whit Sunday Bank Holiday weekend.
Mr Davies pulled the plug on the August concert blaming the bands and the recession for the move. But groups who were due to perform said there was a dispute over appearance fees.
Trading standards officers launched a seven-month investigation following the abandonment of last year’s festival. Angry customers claimed Mr Davies, who lives near Keith, in Moray, Scotland, failed to refund tickets costing up to £100 each.
Moray Council won a legal action against him at Elgin Sheriff Court on April 20 granting an enforcement notice under the Enterprise Act 2002 after Mr Davies failed to show up.
Although ticket holders of last year’s event will not get their money back, Mr Davies faces being jailed for up to two years or an unlimited fine if he leaves future customers high and dry.
A spokesperson for Moray Council’s Trading Standards agency said: “Unfortunately those people who were out of pocket from last year’s cancelled event will not be able to get refunds, but the court order now means we can monitor any forthcoming event he organises.”
The three-day event at the end of this month features Australian Pink Floyd who will kick off proceedings on Friday, May 28, from 7pm. The Drifters, The Temptations and Alexander O’Neal will be performing on stage on the Saturday while The National Symphony Orchestra will be playing on the Sunday.
Box office officials for Showtime Music Ltd said ticket sales for the May event had gone ‘really, really well’ and they hoped to sell the allocation of 5,000 tickets.
Mr Davies was unavailable to comment when contacted by the Chronicle.
By James Pugh