Glasto 'fully prepared' for rain, says Eavis

Glastonbury Festival organiser Michael Eavis has insisted revellers will escape the muddy mayhem of previous years.

Forecasters have warned that persistent rain throughout the week guarantees waterlogged scenes at Pilton for the second festival in succession. But Mr Eavis said his Worthy Farm site was fully prepared.

He was responding to a weather forecast from MeteoGroup UK, predicting between 60mm to 80mm (2.4in to 3.1in) of rain by the end of the week.

Mr Eavis said the Met Office's weather centre had told him there would be long spells of dry weather over the weekend.

Mr Eavis, who has installed £750,000 (€1.1bn) worth of flood defences, said: "It has been beautifully clear all day and I think there will be a lot more sunshine. We have had a lot of work done to the site and are fully prepared. There are so many more covered stages and if we get the occasional shower - we are used to it."

A spokesman from the Exeter-based Met Office confirmed Glastonbury would be "unlucky" to experience mud baths on the scale of 2005.

However, Stephen Davenport, senior meteorologist for MeteoGroup UK, said the amount of surface water set to build up means muddy scenes are inevitable.

Meanwhile, police have announced plans to reduce the impact of the festival on villagers in Pilton. For most of the year the village is made up of only a few thousand residents - but its population swells by 177,000 this weekend.

A dedicated office will be set up in the village throughout the event where residents can discuss any issues or problems they might have as well as report any incidents.

There is also an off site policing and security plan to ensure festival goers do not interrupt the daily lives of villagers.