As Sundown Festival finished for another year, piles of rubbish and discarded tents were left at the Norfolk Showground.

Despite incentives put in place for 2021 to reduce litter by the organisers, there was a carpet of cans, food boxes and carrier bags left behind.

The event was completely sold out and 20,000 people attended each day at the weekend, with campers arriving at the site on Friday and required to leave by midday on Monday.

Norwich Evening News: Rubbish and tents left at the Royal Norfolk Showground where Sundown Festival took place. Picture: Danielle BoodenRubbish and tents left at the Royal Norfolk Showground where Sundown Festival took place. Picture: Danielle Booden (Image: Archant 2021)

The rubbish was also an issue in 2019, the last Sundown to go ahead as it was cancelled last year due to Covid, and it was still there a week later.

All camping tickets in 2021 had a £5 refundable litter bond, which festival-goers could get back by filling up a bin bag.

The Sundown Festival organisers said: "We are grateful to be able to use the Showground as our home for Sundown and we take seriously our responsibility to leave the site as we found it.

Norwich Evening News: Rubbish and tents left at the Royal Norfolk Showground where Sundown Festival took place. Picture: Danielle BoodenRubbish and tents left at the Royal Norfolk Showground where Sundown Festival took place. Picture: Danielle Booden (Image: Archant 2021)

"Our clean-up teams have been out across the site all day to start the job, with larger items due to be cleared by Friday and a 'fine pick' of remaining small pieces of litter to complete the process at the weekend.

"This year for the first time we have introduced a £5 ‘litter bond’ and we are pleased to say we’ve had good engagement from the audience, filling two industrial-sized skips with the waste they collected, bagged and dropped off.

"Although this is a positive first step in working with our audience to change campsite behaviours, we and our festival-goers have a lot more work to do.

"We will continue to work with our festival-goers to reduce the amount left behind so they can help us make a real difference in 2022."

Norwich Evening News: Rubbish and tents left at the Royal Norfolk Showground where Sundown Festival took place. Picture: Danielle BoodenRubbish and tents left at the Royal Norfolk Showground where Sundown Festival took place. Picture: Danielle Booden (Image: Archant 2021)

Local charity Mandalay Wellbeing is also collecting suitable discarded tents to donate to vulnerable individuals.

A spokesman for the Norfolk Showground said: “We’re delighted the Sundown Festival has been a huge success this weekend.

"The festival finished earlier today (Monday) and the organisers are already working hard to clear up the Showground, which will take a number of days."