READING Festival’s security chief has apologised after three teenagers were driven hours away from the campsite into the countryside after being chucked out on Friday night.

The three 16-year-olds, who did not want to be named, entered white camp without wristbands and were escorted away from the festival site to Goring Heath in South Oxfordshire in pitch black when the temperature had dropped to nine degrees.

They were driven away in the back of a van despite police telling festival organisers no further action would be taken against them to an unlit and unpaved location three hours’ walk from Reading.

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The mother of one of the boys branded the treatment of her son as ‘disgusting’ and has urged festival organisers to make ‘drastic changes’ to their security arrangements.

A review into the incident by Reading Festival’s security boss, Jim Goddard, found staff working at the event for Stuart Security made errors in how they handled the situation and that they breached their own ejection policy.

The investigation found:

  • Security staff did not ask the boys their age
  • Staff did not establish how long it would take the boys to walk home or the road conditions
  • They did not make a record of the incident and did not inform their control room
  • Staff did not inform their management of their intentions

A report read: “The officers did not ask the age of your son and his friends and did not consider whether there were any safeguarding risks.

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“When they dropped the group at the roadside they did not consider whether they were vulnerable.

"This was a clear breach of the safeguarding policy and their briefings.

“The officers have accepted fully that their actions fell below the standards required of them.

“They have accepted they acted outside the instructions and briefings given to them.

“Their intentions were well-meaning, however, they recognise their actions may have caused distress.”

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Mr Goddard’s report added that the staff were not acting maliciously, but that they will face disciplinary procedures for their below-standard response to the situation.

He added: “Whilst this group should not have been in the festival campsite, once they came to the attention of the security officers their wellbeing and safeguarding should have been better managed.”

The mother of one of the boys, who also did not want to be named, slammed the festival’s security staff for the treatment of her son and his friends.

She told the Chronicle: “Like many Reading people I love the festival, but I'm furious that grown men put 16-year-old children in the back of a van, ignored police instruction, made no official record of their actions and drove them to the next county, before abandoning them.

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“They faced a three-hour walk back to Reading along unlit and unpaved roads. It was a disgusting abuse of power and people like this should never be allowed to work in any area that involves safeguarding children or young adults ever again.

“Parents have a right to know their children might not be safe at this event unless Festival Republic makes drastic changes.”

Reading Festival’s organisers have been contacted for comment.