MINEHEAD Harbourfest, one of the most popular events on the town’s tourist calendar and due to be held for the fourth year in August, was abruptly cancelled this week.

The organisers blamed “unforeseen management challenges and continued health and safety concerns”.

But they stressed that the event would be back next year in a bigger and even more ambitious form, probably run by a new-style management team.

A decision about the highly popular RNLI?raft race, held as part of the weekend, has been postponed until the next crew meeting in April, but the traditional £10,000 firework display, a major feature of the weekend, has been cancelled.

A call to Minehead organisations to get together in a bid to keep the raft race afloat for this year has come from Chamber of Commerce chairman Graham Sizer.

He said that every effort should be made to save one of the most popular and long-standing events in the town.

Julian Abraham, one of the Harbourfest organisers, who runs the nearby Old Ship Aground pub, said the decision had been taken “with great sadness and regret”.

He told the Free Press: “It was a very difficult decision which was not taken lightly, but it is a postponement and not the end of the festival, which has become a major tourist attraction and fund-raiser in the town.”

He said that the organisers were all volunteers and, as the event grew, there were increased concerns about liability and health and safety.