SUNRISE Celebration, the Chepstow-based eco-friendly festival, has been cancelled.

Set to celebrate its tenth anniversary, festival organisers made the announcement on Thursday 14th May that: "Sunrise is cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control".

Originally established as an alternative to Glastonbury Festival – putting the emphasis on sustainability, up and coming artists, established stars and craft workshops – Sunrise was scheduled to be held in Piercefield Park, Chepstow from Thursday 21st to Sunday 24th May.

Organisers said in a statement: "This is not a decision we have taken lightly, and it is only after being placed in a position where we could not produce the festival we had promised that we have made this decision.

"We're deeply in shock about this, as I'm sure you all are and we apologise it's taken us until this afternoon to make this announcement.

"We've been told at the eleventh hour by the powers that be that we can't run our main stage and dance stage above a level much louder than you would find in a library after 11pm, with unclear assurance that we would even be okay before that.

"We've tried every which way to get round this. We can't, so with deepest regret we've had to cancel."

David Jones, head of Monmouthshire County Council's regulatory services, the body that would grant the festival its licence, said: "Last year's Sunrise Festival at Chepstow Racecourse, that ran from 29th May to 1st June, resulted in a significant number of complaints to the council from local residents.

"These complaints concerned noise levels from music, particularly late at night.

"The council's environmental health section has given guidance on appropriate music level limits to minimise disturbance from such events.

"No noise abatement notice has been served regarding this year's event.

"With all such events, particularly those which are outdoors and continue until 2am, assurances are sought that plans will be in place to reduce music levels if they are considered excessive and likely to cause a noise nuisance.

"In this particular instance, the organisers' noise management plan wasn't received until late April and the council endeavoured to cooperate with them to seek a workable solution."

Chepstow Racecourse, which owns the venue, were unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.

For those who have bought tickets, the festival is in the process of setting up deals with other events that Sunrise goers might be interested in.

For more information, visit http://www.bristolticketshop.co.uk">www.bristolticketshop.co.uk and search for "Sunrise Celebration". Alternatively, visit the festival's website at http://www.sunrisecelebration">www.sunrisecelebration.

com or call 01179 299008