Social distancing zones and a wristband system for toilets are among the measures under consideration as festival and concert organisers deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

A number of summer events in Swindon have been cancelled because of the virus, including the MFor Festival at Lydiard Park.

Plans are still in place for 2021 and the country park is due to host the weekend-long Legends Festival tribute event in July next year.

Its managing director, Nick Conrad, is already thinking ahead.

He said: “We have been looking at social distancing and what concerts will look like next year. If we have a second season of things being off it would be serious for the industry and the country.

“In somewhere like Lydiard Park it would mean reducing point-to-point contact. If needs be we can socially distance at these concerts because we have the ability to be able to spread out.

“We can put in a distance rule between people sitting in groups. We can zone the park into areas and put people into those where they do not go out of that area.

“We can limit access to toilets, so you only use certain toilets on a wristband system and the toilet is cleaned after every single use.”

At the moment outdoor events follow the same rules as football stadiums and theatres, something Nick feels needs to be changed.

He explained: “The government needs to differentiate between venues. Managing a county show, a carnival or a match at the County Ground are completely different prospects from health and safety through to counter-terrorism measures.

“Over the next 12 months I think we are going to see a change in attitude in the grading of events. Most events were cancelled because of the impact on emergency services.

“A football ground has more point-to-point contact problems than an outdoor concert where people can bring their own things.”

More health and safety measures could see a rise in costs, which in turn will be passed on to the customer.

Nick added: “I sadly think live events will be more expensive in the future.

"The reality is most operators might have to push up their costs to keep people safe.”