Persistent heavy rain has forced Bradford Council to cancel this year's Mela after the venue became heavily waterlogged.

The Council's emergency planning team inspected Peel Park, Bradford, over the weekend and announced yesterday that the event had been cancelled on safety grounds.

Council safety officers and parks managers said the huge infrastructure of the Mela, which consists of stages, marquees, fairground rides and temporary buildings, could be compromised by the soft and shifting ground in Peel Park.

The Mela was due to be staged this Saturday and Sunday. See tomorrow's Telegraph & Argus for full report.