Heavy rain won’t ruin the T weekend

Jul 8 2011 by Greg Christison, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

PREDICTIONS of heavy rain won’t dampen spirits at T in the Park, festival chiefs have insisted.

Ahead of the start of the huge show tonight, campers were arriving at its Balado site yesterday morning amid light rain and wind.

But forecasters expect the weather to deteriorate – with heavy rainfall and thunder predicted for later today.

As he braved the elements yesterday, site owner Douglas Alexander insisted festival-goers would enjoy a “great weekend”.

“We have had more showers but now the wind is picking up and that’s a good thing,” he said.

“It sucks the moisture out of the ground. We also have loads of good drainage.”

Mr Alexander also rejected suggestions that scenes witnessed in 2007, when cars became stuck in pools of mud, would be relived this year.

“There shouldn’t be any problem with travel in and out of the site,” he added.

“The last problems were in 2007 and everybody got hit. But now we have steel panels from the road right into the heart of each car park and that takes the pressure off the gateways.

“And they are the weakest part of any car park.”

Moving away from site management issues, Mr Alexander admitted he was relishing this weekend’s entertainment.

He quipped: “Does it get any better? From Tom Jones through to the Foo Fighters, with acts like the Arctic Monkeys, Beyonce and Brandon Flowers in between.”

Similarly a T in the Park spokesman confirmed the site was in good condition and they were “absolutely all set to go” but admitted the weather was a cause for concern.

He said: “The site itself is in top nick but the weather is not looking good.

“It is hard to tell if the site is going to get worse.”

This weekend’s event, which will also see Coldplay, The Strokes and Pulp perform, will attract 85,000 music fans per day.

With responsiblity for ensuring traffic matters in and around the site run smoothly, Sergeant Julie Robertson advised revellers to keep an eye on the Tayside Police and Traffic Scotland websites.

She said: “I’d advise people to plan their journey in advance, set off early and read the signage carefully.

“Please do not follow your sat-nav as you will more than likely end up in the wrong place.

“Our traffic management plan is well thought out with the view to keep traffic moving at all times.

“We do not envisage any problems at this stage but prolonged heavy rainfall could cause us problems.

“We do have contingency plans if this was to occur.”

Drivers are asked to note there is a new private coach parking and drop-off point, signposted on the B918.