The show goes on for events hauliers
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By Laura Hailstone and Hayley Pink HAULIERS SPECIALISING in concerts and events are coping well with the wash-out summer, claiming the unseasonal wet weather is “par for the course”.
EST senior manager Del Roll says: “Big outdoor stadium events usually throw in a rain date, it’s almost standard procedure, so the weather doesn’t stop us. We do the transport for most of the major acts that are touring; we’ve got Madonna coming up next.” Chris Redburn, chairman and MD of Redburn Transfer, admits the Isle of Wight festival last month was a nightmare, but it still got the job done. “It took 11 hours for our trucks to get there but the organisers had put tank-tracks down so we didn’t get stuck in the mud.
“Until we get on site at an event we don’t know what conditions we will be facing. If it’s really muddy we have to rely on tractors to tow the trucks on and off site. It’s usually OK where we have to park backstage at events as they will be concreted areas.” Redburn has Tom Petty, Pearl Jam, Simple Minds and Lenny Kravitz gigs coming up.
Lancashire-based Matthew Kibble Transport had its frst cancellation of the summer last weekend when M-Fest at Harewood House, Leeds, was abandoned due to fears of looding.
“We’d already got two trucks on site and then it was cancelled,” says MD Matthew Kibble. “It’s a horrendous summer at the moment. It’s not great for our sector but we are just getting on with it.” KB Event says it hasn’t been involved in an event that has been cancelled but company secretary Leanne McPherson says: “With trucks at a premium this summer due to the amount of events we don’t normally have, planning and scheduling is even more crucial.”