At a hearing at Mold County Court on Friday, November 29 an Enforcement Order was imposed on the organiser of the Rock the Park music festivals which have taken place in Wrexham, most recently in August 2023.
The court hearing followed a detailed investigation by Trading Standards Officers from Wrexham Council’s Public Protection service into allegations from a large number of customers.
Complaints included failure to provide refunds following cancelled events, failure to respond to complaints and denying customers rights to a refund.
The court action followed after the defendant failed to give a formal assurance to the Council that they would comply with a range of legal requirements, particularly laws relating to consumer protection and the refunding of ticket costs for events that were subsequently cancelled.
If the defendant breaches any of the terms imposed by the Order they may be held in contempt of court which could result in a fine or imprisonment.
The order has been made against the organiser personally and will apply with regard to any events they organise in the future regardless of the status of any limited company through which the event is organised.
Councillor Hugh Jones, Wrexham Council’s Lead Member for Public Protection said: “I welcome the result of this court action and hope that the threat of action for contempt of court will concentrate the mind of this event organiser so that the interests of consumers in Wrexham are protected in future.
“It is not acceptable for festival goers to be left out of pocket, sometimes to the tune of hundreds of pounds, when an event fails to take place.”
The order also requires the defendant to obtain any necessary licence for any event they are organising, to apply in good time for such a licence and to abide by all the conditions of that licence.
