Anyone got a broom? Army of 800 litter pickers begins cleaning up this mess at Glastonbury... but it will take SIX WEEKS to get the site back to normal

Highlights of musical extravaganza in Somerset have included Dolly Parton, Metallica, Arcade Fire and Kasabian



Campers have until 6pm to leave Worthy Farm with crew and stall holders given a week to clear their property



Organisers say priority for today is to get ticket-holders off site before clean-up can begin in earnest tomorrow

Litter picking crew of 800 will begin to clear huge site of rubbish and tractors will travel across 1,200-acre site

Organiser Michael Eavis says the 44th Glastonbury Festival has been 'great success again, in spite of the mud'

But farmer, 78, also reveals that event - which has run since 1970 - could have a lifespan of just six more years


For the past five days it has been home to some 175,000 people, but today the clean-up operation of Glastonbury Festival 2014 begins.

Highlights of the musical extravaganza have included Dolly Parton, Metallica and Arcade Fire, while Kasabian headlined the Pyramid Stage last night.

Campers now have until 6pm to leave the site at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, while crew and stall holders are given a week to clear their property.

Meanwhile, hours before they began to leave, organiser Michael Eavis revealed that the 44-year-old event could have a lifespan of just six more years.

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Aerial view of the Glastonbury Festival site as people leave after the festival in Pilton, Somerset

Mud and grass: The clean-up operation can already been seen to have begun near the Pyramid Stage of the Glastonbury Festival site

Rubbish bags galore: This was the scene above Worthy Farm in Somerset as rubbish bags were dropped in enormous piles

Bus station: Thousands of revellers were today boarding coaches back home following the end of the five-day festival Bird's eye view: The five-day festival was attended by some 175,000 people at a dairy farm in Somerset Stone circle: With the festival over for another year, bets are already being offered on next year's event, Looking ahead: Paddy Power has installed Depeche Mode as the 3/1 favourites to headline on the Saturday at Glastonbury next year Wide view: Another aerial photograph of the Glastonbury Festival site as people leave after the event in Somerset

Rubbish: The litter strewn around the Pyramid Stage area as the clean up operation begins on site, at the Glastonbury Festival, at Worthy Farm

Tired: A man sleeps outside as people leave Glastonbury Festival in Somerset today

Lying down: A festival goer is flat out on the ground as the clean up operation begins around the Pyramid Stage, at the Glastonbury Festival Ghost town: Discarded items including tents, bags and bottles can be seen as people leave Glastonbury Festival in Pilton

Wheelbarrow: Things have changed significantly since the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970, where 1,500 people attended and gained admission by paying a £1 entry fee

On the beat: Police officers walk through the Glastonbury Festival site in Somerset today, which was a total mess as revellers began to leave

Hours left: As volunteers begin the clean-up, campers have until 6pm to leave the site of the festival on a farm in Somerset Picking up rubbish: Festival goers were today leaving the Somerset dairy farm that plays host to one of the largest music festivals in the world Popular festival: Tickets to the event, which is now in its 44th year, sold out in minutes even before any of the headline acts had been confirmed

Rubbish: People start to head home as volunteers begin the massive logistical task of cleaning up after 175,000 people at the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset

Heading home: Campers now have until 6pm to leave the site at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, while crew and stall holders are given a week to clear their property

Huge effort: Organisers said the priority for today is to get ticket-holders off site before the clean-up can begin in earnest tomorrow

What a mess: A litter picking crew of up to 800 will begin to clear the huge site of rubbish, while volunteers began sifting through recycling yesterday

Sunrise: Workers will carry out a fingertip search to make sure no inch of the land goes unchecked

End of the festival: Tractors carrying magnetic strips will travel across the 1,200-acre site to pick up tent pegs

Taking a photo: Highlights of the musical extravaganza have included Dolly Parton, Metallica and Arcade Fire, while Kasabian headlined the Pyramid Stage last night

Enjoying the last moments: Organisers said the 44th Glastonbury Festival had been a 'great success again, in spite of the mud'

Long-running event: The first Glastonbury Festival was put on at Worthy Farm in 1970 - and next year's headliners are already said to be sorted

Controversial top spot: Organiser Michael Eavis said heavy metallers Metallica had played 'like their lives depended on it'

The fun's over: For the past five days it has been home to some 175,000 people, but today the clean-up operation of Glastonbury Festival 2014 begins Musical extravangza: A 100,000-plus audience had flocked to see Dolly Parton during the festival, as she sang hits including Jolene and Blue Smoke Back to normality: Kasabian put on an energetic show that saw them perform a selection of their anthemic hits including Club Foot, Shoot The Runner and Processed Beats Having a cuppa: The last day of official acts saw the rain that had been forecast fail to materialise, with revellers enjoying mainly sunshine all day Time to leave: Once all festival-goers have left the Somerset site today the big clean-up begins, with hundreds of volunteers and workers involved Popular event: The Rolling Stones, Jay-Z, James Brown and other influential artists have performed at Glastonbury over the years All aboard: Festival goers at the bus station for transport leaving the Glastonbury Festival, at Worthy Farm in Somerset Long walk: Festival goers leaving the Glastonbury Festival, at Worthy Farm in Somerset Pathway: Another view of revellers leaving the Glastonbury Festival, at Worthy Farm in Somerset Loaded up: Backpacks, tents and shoes are packed into one of the buses leaving Glastonbury Festival this morning On the bus home: Music fans from all over the world and of all ages came to join the party on Michael Eavis's land Under cover: Five days of tumultuous weather saw torrential rain, hail, thunder and lightning lead to the plug being pulled on the Pyramid Stage The mission to convert the land back into a functioning dairy could take up to six weeks. Yesterday organiser Mr Eavis said the 44th Glastonbury Festival had been a ‘great success again, in spite of the mud’. The farmer, who put on the first festival at his farm in 1970, added that he already has next year's headliners sorted. Mr Eavis was sworn to secrecy about who the acts were, but said one band was not British and Prince was not among them. Family trip: Metallica headlined Saturday's show, and Kasabian was highlighting the Sunday night show Looking out at the mess: Dolly Parton penned and performed a special song about mud to mark the occasion even though yesterday proved mostly sunny and fair Range of music: Arcade Fire and Metallica performed, while Bombay Bicycle Club, Massive Attack and Ellie Goulding also appeared across other stages Capturing the moment: The specialist site that deals with the refuse is near to organiser Mr Eavis's farm and resembled more like a landfill site than a barn today Chair structure: Huge rubbish trucks have continuously collected from the festival camping site where bins are organised into different recycling types through a colour code What a stink: Volunteers wore face masks and hooded white suits as they used shovels to sort through the haul of garbage Picking it up: Workers were today sorting through thousands of tonnes of rubbish produced during the five-day festival. The music's stopped: Dolly Parton appeared for the Sunday Afternoon Legend's Slot following other artists including Ray Davies, Shirley Bassey and James Brown Union Jack: Mr Eavis previously defended the decision to have Metallica as one of this year's three headliners on the Pyramid Stage Long weekend: Earlier, excitement had been building ahead of Dolly Parton's performance, which many had talked about as the event of the festival Packed up: Campers begin to head home as volunteers start the massive task of cleaning up after 175,000 people at the Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, Somerset What remains: It will take up to six weeks to restore Worthy Farm in Somerset to its normal state Patrolling: Police walk around the site of Worthy Farm where Glastonbury Festival revellers are starting to head home after the musical extravanaganza Rubbish bags: An estimated 11 tonnes of clothes and camping gear will be abandoned on the site Dirty work: Among the items left behind will be including 6,500 sleeping bags, 5,500 tents, 3,500 airbeds, 2,200 chairs, 950 rolled mats and 400 gazebos Whopping fee: It is thought that the festival organisers will spend around £780,000 collecting the rubbish from across the site Big task: Volunteers will sift through around nine tonnes of glass, 54 tonnes of cans and plastic bottles, 41 tonnes of cardboard, and 66 tonnes of scrap metal Walking: Nearly 200 tonnes of composted organic waste is also removed from the site throughout the five-day festival Targets: Last year 49 per cent of all the waste was recycled but organisers are aiming for 60 per cent this year Taking care: Workers will be extra cautious of stray tent pegs as cows grazing the site have died in previous years after eating them Teamwork: t is thought the clear-up effort could last around six weeks, before the land can be restored to a working dairy farm All packed up: Some of the 175,000 festival goers begin to leave the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton Famous festival: Litter pickers clear the rubbish left in front of the main Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm in Pilton Clean-up: An army of workers began the back-breaking task of removing more than 1,650 tonnes of waste from the Glastonbury Festival site All over soon? Towards the end of this year's concert the organiser Michael Eavis hinted that it will keep going for at least another six years Journeying home: Workers will carry out a fingertip search to make sure no inch of the land goes unchecked Abandoned: Discarded tents are left covered in mud as people leave the Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, Somerset Loaded up: Workers clean up and put bags on a lorry as people leave the Glastonbury Festival Left behind: Discarded muddy shoes, toothbrushes, water bottles and beer cans can be seen as people leave Glastonbury Festival Carried away: Litter pickers clear the rubbish left in front of the main Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm in Pilton Army of workers: The festival on a dairy farm in Somerset now attracts more than 175,000 people Tents: Organiser Michael Eavis has been running the festival on the Somerset site since 1970 Sitting outside: Discarded tents are left covered in mud as people leave Glastonbury Festival Load of rubbish: Revellers have been given until 6pm today to leave the Glastonbury Festival site Campsite: A selection of the many abandoned tents at the Glastonbury Festival. The fields of Worthy Farm will soon be returned to grazing dairy cows Green and brown: Patches of grass can still be seen in this area of the Glastonbury Festival, while most of the rest of it is simply mud now

Asked about Metallica's controversial top spot on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday, he said the heavy metallers had played ‘like their lives depended on it’.

Asked about the future of the festival, the 78-year-old, who organises the mammoth event with his daughter Emily, said: ‘We've got a few more years.

‘Myself, I think I can run another six years, which would take me up to about 50 years - and then see what happens after that.’

The cost of restoring Worthy Farm over a six-week period would be £3,012,795, according to research by online tradesmen service Rated People.