Association Of Independent Festivals (AIF) general manager Paul Reed has leapt to the defence of the sector in the wake of the shambolic collapse of Liverpool’s inaugural Hope & Glory Festival.

Customers took to social media to highlight chaotic scenes at the first day of the boutique festival in St George’s Quarter on August 5, with complaints of delays, lengthy queues and overcrowding.

Hope & Glory, which was led by Lee O’Hanlon of promoter Tiny Cow, was then axed for ...