Skip to content

Glastonbury 'spends more on security than Royal Family'

The Glastonbury Festival spends more on security than the Royal Family does, its organiser has claimed.

Michael Eavis said they spend "a fortune" and the festival was "the safest place to be in the whole of England at the moment".

Security at the site was stepped up this year following the recent terror attacks in London and Manchester.

22 June 2017

Explore More

Several fishing boats upended by a huge wave

Watch: Huge waves strike Peruvian coastline

A man with bruises on his forehead and eye is sitting on a hospital bed

Azerbaijan plane survivors recall moments before crash

Weather presenter Judith Ralston, wearing a black and white dress, stands in front of a map of Scotland with a large yellow rainfall patch highlighting an area where heavy rain is expected.

Watch Scotland's weather forecast for the run-up to Hogmanay

Tony Heywood in his community garden

Greenhouse artwork highlights need for human rights

A group of small brown and black puppies jumping and looking at the camera

The puppies trained to save wildlife in Africa

Val standing in her kitchen wearing a Fred apron. She is pouring flour through a sieve into a pink mixing bowl. On the shelves and counters surrounding her there are many Fred memorabilia items.

Meet the woman with thousands of Fred memorabilia

Lynn Stephenson is visiting every country after selling her house

'I sold my house to travel the world'

A screenshot of the virtual reality game, the image shows a pair or red goalkeeper's gloved hands from the perspective of the player. A second player in a yellow kit is kicking a white ball towards a goal. They are in a virtual. empty stadium.

Is VR gaming the answer to too much screen time?

Northern Ireland

BBC News

East of England weather forecast

Men can be seen standing near the broken plane

Footage shows survivors walking from crashed Azerbaijani plane

Jean McKenzie wearing a cream coat standing by a busy street in Seoul in the evening

What just happened in South Korea?

A back-and-white image of former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh speaking in front of a microphone

Former Indian PM Manmohan Singh: In his own words

A wooden bookshelf full of old books. The majority on the left have been attached to the shelf with large metal chains, which are dangling off the edge.

The library where books are kept under lock and key

Lydia Hepworth bites an orange

Ambulance crew reunite with mum and baby they saved

Former prisoner Lee Jack, wearing a black coat, smiles while looking at the camera - he's standing behind a cafe counter with cakes and biscuits in glass jars

The cafe helping prisoners escape a life of crime

Tayside & Central Scotland

Manmohan Singh

Watch: Former Indian PM Manmohan Singh's life and legacy

Stacey, Jason, Nessa, Smithy and Gavin laughing on a sofa.

What do fans think of the Gavin & Stacey finale?

Runners dressed in Santa hats line up on the beach ready to run into the sea.

Watch: Hundreds run into sea at Boxing Day dips

Group of around 30 people in front of a snow house with someone dressed as Santa on the roof.

The Glaswegian who spends Christmas in Antarctica

Big Zuu stands in a Christmas-decorated kitchen

Big Zuu takes on Christmas leftovers

Arthur the cat sitting on a wooden table in a living room. He is wearing a blue collar with a blue bell on it, and looking off to the right of the camera.

Why people are talking about Arthur's shop visits

The sneaky feline is visiting a Morrisons supermarket which has got people talking online.

Veteran cutting cake with other army members standing close by

Burma war veteran celebrates 100th birthday

Captain Walter Godsal is one of the few surviving members of the Burma Star Association.

A man and a woman smile in the audience

'I had the biggest smile on my face'

American tourists Bob and Tiffany Cumrin hope to visit the spectacular carnival once again.

Two women say in a trishaw, covered in a red blanket with a man in high-vis and a helmet steering behind them. They are outside Wells Cathedral

Trishaw service celebrates 100th customer ride

The volunteer-run scheme takes less-abled and vulnerable people on rides around Wells.

Sandra Handel on her last day at work at her salon in Highbridge. She is smiling at the camera and holding a hairdryer in one hand and a comb in the other. In the background are customers in chairs also smiling, and Sandra is standing over a customer with a grey towel wrapped around them

Hairdresser retires after 60 years in the industry

Sandra Handel first began hairdressing at the age of 14 when she was offered a weekend job.

Wool sculpture reaching into the church's ceiling.

New sculpture made from 300 sheep fleeces

Artist Nicola Turner's latest work is formed of hanging tendrils made from Somerset wool.

Winning an Olympic medal 10 months after surgery

Becky Wilde had both arms in plaster shortly before the British Olympic trials.

A digger lifting a bridge into place over a river

Exmoor bridge construction underway

The Great Bradley Bridge is being built across the River Barle between Tarr Steps and Withypool.

A willow swan made by craftspeople. It is placed on a green lawn

Crafted willow swan is used in Bridgerton

The swan was made by crafts experts Coates English Willow in Somerset.

A doctor carrying out a procedure in a hospital

Laser procedure treating bladder cancer patients

The device will help destroy small tumours and reduce the need for bladder cancer surgery.

Women holding lollipop stood in high-viz jacket

Lollipop lady, 85, retires after 32 years

Cora Pinkawa first started helping children cross the road to Milborne Port primary in 1991.

Barber Leon Tooze looking at the camera with a comb and scissors

Barber celebrates 60 years of cutting hair

Barber Leon Tooze, who is now 80, said he still "loves" the job after opening his business in 1964.

An aerial shot of Ladye Bay near Clevedon showing the landslide area on the beach

Coast path future 'uncertain' after landslide

People are warned not to ignore signs keeping them away from a beach and coast path.

Ice cream van caught in rising tide

Ice cream van swept out to sea in rising tide

Coastguard teams rescue an ice cream van that had been swept out to sea in Cornwall.

Split screen image shows people watching a TV at Glastonbury and Louis Tomlinson

Louis Tomlinson brings TV to Glastonbury to watch England

The singer didn't want to miss out on seeing England play against Slovakia in Euro 2024.

Woman sitting at a table looking up at a plate of roast food being handed to her

Hundreds queue for roasts at Glastonbury Festival

The Sunday dinners sold out in just 55 minutes as people looked forward to a hot meal at a table.

Michael Eavis in black and white in the 1970s describing the first Glastonbury

Eavis found first Glastonbury 'nerve-wracking'

Sir Michael Eavis was slightly disappointed with the first-ever Glastonbury festival.

Man standing with newspaper in front of vintage printing machine.

The team behind Glastonbury's free newspaper

The newspaper is printed on two occasions during the festival.

Ros Atkins

Turning the BBC News theme into a drum and bass banger

The BBC's Ros Atkins is swapping the studio for a DJ set at Glastonbury.

Image of a man with a mullet. He is wearing green reflective sunglasses.

Is this Glastonbury's most popular haircut this year?

The mullet is well and truly back - but is it here to stay?