Music fans are still awaiting refunds after a festival was forced to cancel.

Southbeats Festival was due to be held at St Clere Estate in Sevenoaks for the first time ever but was called off due to poor ticket sales.

The two-day event was expected to see performances from artists such as Dizzee Rascal, Example and Sub Focus.

Ticket-holders were informed of the cancellation on August 21.

They were told they would be given more information within two weeks.

However more than a month later, customers are still waiting to find out if they are getting a refund.

Kaley Gibson, 18, from Ashford spent £200 of a pair of tickets for her boyfriend's birthday back in January.

She said: "We were updated on September 4 when they said they needed more time to process the refunds, due to the high demand.

"We just want a full refund, I'm not really bothered about compensation."
The couple had booked the time off of work to go, and ended up buying tickets to another festival.

In a statement released at the time organisers said: " Unfortunately the number of tickets sold at this stage is not strong enough to allow us to deliver the standard of event that our loyal Southbeats supporters expect and deserve.

“Although historically the majority of our ticket sales have come in the final few weeks, there is no indication that sales will increase enough to be able to cover the high costs of producing and running an event of this size, or of meeting the high standards we set ourselves on your behalf.

“We apologise to all ticket holders, artists, suppliers, traders and partners for any disappointment and inconvenience this causes.

“We have put our hearts and souls into trying to make this event happen and we know this news will come as a disappointment to many, but despite our best efforts, this has proved too much of a mountain to climb."

The dance music event, which has been running since 2016, was previously held at Port Lympne safari park in Hythe and has welcomed nearly 35,000 visitors.

Tickets were priced between £45 and £125.

It was due to go ahead on Saturday, September 21 and Saturday, September 22.

A spokesman for Southbeats said: "All ticket holders awaiting refunds will be contacted via post or email today (Friday 3 October). There will be a link to an online portal which will provide more information."

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