(MENAFN- Gulf Times) A London Mayoral hopeful yesterday claimed Wireless festival had left a park looking like the "Serengeti".
David Lammy described the impact of the music festival - where stars such as Jessie J and Kendrick Lamar performed - as "heartbreaking".
The event was marred by crowd trouble when it was held last weekend, as crowds of ticketless fans "rioted" and tried to enter the site in Finsbury Park.
Campaigners said the park has now been left littered with canisters from laughing gas balloons and even broken glass.
And Lammy yesterday said after a visit to the site: "There are parts of the park that look like the Serengeti - a bald dust bowl where there was once grass.
"Along with broken glass, metal bolts and screws and dangerous drug detritus what I saw this morning was heart breaking. Residents deserve better," the Tottenham MP added.
Pictures of the park posted online also showed dust where lush green grass was once, thanks to the combination of high footfall and hot weather during the festival.
Kevin Duffy, chair of the Friends of Finsbury Park group, said: "The peace of Finsbury Park has been shattered for the duration of Live Nation's three week occupation of it.
"As the iron fences are removed, the extent of the damage has outraged David Lammy, who likened the park to a desert.
"There's serious damage. The whole section of the park has been left looking like a dustbowl. It destroys the fabric of the park."
The festival sparked controversy during the course of last weekend after a series of shocking videos showed security staff grappling with gatecrashing youths attempting to enter the site.
Footage also emerged of a mob trampling over fencing in the park as they tried to get into the festival site.
The Metropolitan Police said it would not be taking action over the specific issue of crowd trouble. Eight people were arrested at the festival on Friday and Saturday for offences including knife possession and ABH.
Haringey council controls events in the park. A spokeswoman said: "Recent hot weather has had an effect on the appearance of the park. Any damage caused by Wireless Festival will be made good and paid for by Live Nation.
"All money raised from events in our parks is reinvested back into parks. In Finsbury Park alone income from events has so far paid for improvements including refurbishment and expansion of the ball court area and better lighting for the athletics track. The wide range of events also ensures that Finsbury Park continues to be a popular destination and attracts new visitors to the area."
"We work closely with local residents, businesses, councillors and representatives from Islington and Hackney Councils when planning for events and put in place a number of measures to ensure disruption to local residents is kept to a minimum, including regulating and monitoring noise levels, regular patrols for litter and anti-social behaviour, and a dedicated hotline for residents to call."
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