A County Durham food festival has been cancelled in response to government guidance on Coronavirus.
Durham County Council has taken the decision to cancel the Bishop Auckland Food Festival, following government advice on measures which should be taken to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The event was due to take place on April 18-19.
Gill O’Neill, the council’s acting head of culture, sport and tourism, said: “We have been monitoring all the government guidance on Coronavirus very closely and reviewing the situation as regards the food festival.
“The health and safety of everyone in County Durham is of the utmost importance to us and we have taken the decision to cancel the festival in line with the government guidance around reducing social interactions in order to try and prevent the spread of the virus.
“We are also mindful of the guidance around the impact of events on the emergency services in the current climate.”
The council has contacted traders which had booked to attend the festival and will be refunding their fees.
It will also be contacting people who have bought tickets for the festival’s workshops to offer refunds.
The council is currently reviewing how its services, venues and events are impacted by the government guidance on Coronavirus and will be releasing further information as soon as possible.
The authority is encouraging everyone to follow the advice from Public Health England on how best to protect themselves from the virus, including washing their hands more often, for 20 seconds.
Further information can be found at www.durham.gov.uk/coronavirus