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Drone Footage and On-Site Reports Show 'Ghost Camps' at Reading Festival

Crews began clearing the Green Campsite after pleas to take tents home saw only partial compliance.

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Overview

  • A Reading Chronicle reporter visiting the Green Campsite on Monday found intact tents, mattresses and camp chairs left in place as security urged remaining campers to leave.
  • Organisers had set up waste-collection points with neon signs reading "Take your tents home," yet many attendees ignored the guidance while others used the drop-offs.
  • Drone video taken Monday over Little John's Farm showed widespread litter and abandoned gear, with the pilot estimating about 2,000 tents left behind as cleanup started.
  • Items scattered across the site included clothing, a cool box, headphones, a decorative ashtray, perfume, a superhero mask and a pink cowboy hat, alongside unopened food.
  • Last year's event generated 702 tonnes of waste including 71 tonnes of tents, according to figures cited by the Daily Mail, highlighting a recurring cleanup challenge.