Organisers of the tenth Seend Beer Festival have put in stricter controls to tackle yobs.

Last year vandalism caused in the village was thought to have been caused by under age drinkers refused entry to the festival.

But for May 1’s festival the organisers have hired a professional security company.

Security officers will man the entrance and will refuse entry to anyone suspected of being under age who does not have identification.

Richard Todhunter, one of the organisers, said: “We are employing a security company to make sure we don’t have a repetition of what happened last year.”

Under 18s will be allowed into the festival provided they are accompanied by a responsible adult but only during the afternoon. All those who attend will be given a wristband to wear.

The festival takes place from noon to 11pm at Seend Community Centre in Rusty Lane. The number of beers and cinders has been increased to 40 and there will be a pig roast.

Three bands will be playing live, two of which are new to the festival. These are The Somerset Paddies and Swindon based Wipe Me Dry. Making a return visit will be Black Sheep, who play Celtic rock.

Admission is £5 and the event is the single biggest fundraiser for the community centre. Last year’s festival raised about £3,000.

The festival attracts people from all over the country and the organisers expect up to 800 people to attend throughout the day.