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Campaigners today called for all large-scale music festivals to be banned from London’s open spaces as thousands descended on Finsbury Park for the second day of Wireless.

Huge swathes of the north London park have been fenced off so music-lovers paying £60 a ticket can enjoy headline acts including Calvin Harris, Chase & Status and Boy Better Know over the three day event.

Up to 45,000 fans are expected from this afternoon for the hugely popular urban music festival - which campaigners say ruins the park, making it a no-go zone for local residents before leaving it looking like a dustbowl.

In previous years, revellers have been accused of urinating in people’s gardens, while last summer’s event saw major outbreaks of disorder as ticketless festival–goers vaulted security fences.

Police also made a series of arrests for offences including knife crime, and local MP David Lammy said afterwards the event had left the park looking like the Serengeti. Organisers Festival Republic say enhanced security measures have been put in place this year to counter a repeat of the disorder.

Friends of Finsbury Park are currently locked in a legal battle with Haringey Council over its decision to allow organisers Festival Republic to take over the green space.

If successful, campaigners say the fight could have implications for other large music festivals in the capital’s parks, such as South West Four in Clapham Common and Love Box in Victoria Park.

Today chairman Tom Palin said: “Big commercial events like Wireless split parks in half. They are excessively huge and I think it’s inappropriate in a London park.

“Locals don’t want to use the park when Wireless is on. It creates a numbness and oppressive feel.

“It can reach a point where you’re made to feel uncomfortable in your local park.”

His group believes a piece of legislation from the 1960s precludes local authorities from giving away more than 10 per cent of the parks they manage to events. Wireless occupies nearly one third of Finsbury Park.

He said: “If we win, events that take up more than 10% of parks would not be allowed to happen.”

Judges at the High Court threw out the group’s claim that Wireless was unlawful last month.

But campaigners say the judgement gives local authorities like Haringey unrestricted power to shut parks to the public as they please, and intend to take their legal fight to the Court of Appeal.

Haringey Council, which claims events like Wireless raised £400,000 for improvements to Finsbury Park just last year, welcomed the outcome of the High Court hearing at the time.

Cabinet Member for Environment Cllr Peray Ahmet said: “We are pleased with the ruling, which means that large scale live music events in Finsbury Park and open spaces across London are no longer under threat.

“Events like Wireless make a huge contribution to London’s cultural scene and in Haringey bring in hundreds of thousands of pounds which is spent improving our parks and attracting more visitors."

A spokesman for Haringey Council said: “The majority of Finsbury Park continues to be open to the public during the Wireless festival with tight security in place to ensure that thousands of Londoners can enjoy the event. Every penny made by the council is ploughed back into our parks.”