A BIKE festival has been cancelled just four weeks before it was due to be held because of a mix-up over visitor numbers.

Lancashire Road Riders had been expecting up to 7,000 people flock to its second Rawtenstall custom and classic motorcycle show on August 28.

However, police were only told there were likely to be 450 people and they would not have enough resources to ensure public safety at large-scale event due to Colne Blues Festival taking place the same weekend.

A spokesman for the club, based at The Flowers pub, Bacup, vowed they would never stage the bike festival again in Rossendale.

He said: “We have been planning the event for 10 months and a small oversight has forced us to cancel.

"Back in January, when I was filling in the licence forms needed for a public event, the council asked me how many people would be turning up to watch the bands.

“I told them I had no idea and they told me to guess.

“I put down 450 people and somehow, despite 3,500 turning up last year, it was concluded that would be how many people would turn up in total.

“We have had three meetings about visitor numbers and no one raised any concerns.”

Posters advertising the event are thought to have reached as far as Newcastle.

Rossendale Inspector Judith Finney said: “An initial application was made by the organisers of the event detailing the expected turn-out to be around 450, which was accepted.

“However, since then, it has now become clear that number will be much higher.

“Given our responsibility to maintain public safety and minimise public disruption and taking into consideration the short notice of the significant increase and the extensive planning that these events require, we have had to suggest that the event be cancelled on this occasion.”

Helen Lockwood, Rossendale Council's chief executive, said: “While Rossendale Council is very keen to see the return of the bike show to Rawtenstall, an event on the scale that is proposed takes months of planning.

"Regretfully, the size of the event has got out of hand.”