Glastonbury's clean up begins as festival goers head home

Glastonbury's clean up begins as festival goers head home



Glastonbury's £785,000 clean-up began in earnest this morning as the last of the festival's 200,000 music fans staggered home having watched Ed Sheeran bring the event to a close on Sunday night.

Pictures today showed the Worthy Farm fields strewn with rubbish while bleary-eyed revellers were seen making their way out of the Somerset venue as volunteers with rubbish bags moved in.

But they weren't the only ones, with seagulls also seen fighting over food scraps left in front of the famous Pyramid Stage.

The festival is due to take a 'fallow year' in 2018, a break that occurs every six years to allow the land to recover, although founder Michael Eavis suggested he would revoke that plan if a certain band agreed to perform.

He said that he is 'already regretting' the decision to take a year out and, while he didn't reveal who the band is that could change his mind, he did add: 'It's not One Direction.'

This morning some 800 litter pickers were scouring the 900-acre grounds as campers headed home. After five days of partying, festival goers are estimated to have left behind some 57 tons of reusable items, 1,022 tons of recycling and a staggering 500,000 sacks of litter.

The event has been the most political in its history, with Mr Corbyn addressing tens of thousands of revellers from the iconic main Pyramid Stage and giving a talk at the Left Field tent.

Artists, revellers and festival organisers have spoken in support of the Islington North MP - with the chant 'Oh, Jeremy Corbyn' to the tune of the White Stripes' Seven Nation Army becoming the unofficial anthem of the festival.



With the party officially over, campers now have until 6pm to leave the 900-acre site, while crew and stall holders are given a week to clear the property.

Organisers have asked attendees to take their tents with them, with posters around the venue reading: 'Love the farm, leave no trace' and a heavy emphasis on recycling throughout.



The 514 food vendors on site had only been allowed to provide compostable plates, cups and cutlery, while glass was banned across the festival.

A litter picking crew of up to 800 began to clear the huge area of rubbish on Monday morning, with tractors carrying magnetic strips travelling across the fields.

Workers will also carry out a fingertip search to make sure no inch of the land goes unchecked.

The mission to convert the site back into a functioning dairy farm could take up to six weeks.

Last year, the operation was made harder thanks to heavy rain that caused a huge amount of mud - with revellers abandoning their belongings as they struggled out.

Sheeran, 26, who had admitted to battling the nerves as he stepped out on the Pyramid Stage, last night wrapped up the festival by showing off his guitar skills in a performance of You Need Me, I Don't Need You to a huge crowd.

He thanked Glastonbury for having him and said of headlining: 'I would like to say it was a dream of mine.

'But I never thought I would even get to the point where I was playing this stage, let alone headlining it.'



During his set, Sheeran performed a string of his hits including Castle On The Hill, Lego House and Shape Of You.

In his final moments on stage, he pulled out his mobile phone and asked the crowd to smile, taking a quick picture before carrying on singing.

Sheeran's performance brought to an end to three days of musical performances.

A major clean-up operation is now underway on the Somerset site as 200,000 music fans leave the festival and the area is restored to farmland for another year.



But not everyone was ready for the festival to end. As thousands made their way home, several groups of happy campers decided to sit among the mess in their camp chairs, savouring the festival spirit until the end.

There will be no Glastonbury Festival in 2018 as it is a 'fallow year', but festival organiser Michael Eavis said it would be back in 2019.

'The farm needs a rest. So does the village and the wildlife,' he said.

In 2020, Glastonbury Festival will celebrate its 50th year.

'We're already booking acts for that one,' Mr Eavis said. 'Half a century. It's an incredible feat, actually. We've been through so many struggles to get here.'

Highlights on Sunday included Nile Rodgers and Chic, who brought some 80s magic with disco hits such as Everybody Dance, I Want Your Love and Upside Down.

Singer Rag 'N' Bone Man delighted fans with twists on some of his biggest hits, as well as an unexpected rap performance.

Other acts over the three days included Lorde, Major Lazer, Craig David, Foo Fighters, Kaiser Chiefs, Emeli Sande and The Killers, who returned to Glastonbury after 10 years with a surprise set on Sunday evening.