Canberra festival Spilt Milk is under fire for stopping punters from bringing tampons, allergy medication, sunscreen and empty water bottles through the festival gates.

On Saturday, 22-year-old Canberra local Steph Skinner was forced to smuggle her tampons and painkillers down her shirt into the festival after security told her they were banned.

Steph told Hack the painkillers - a specific medication for period pain - were in an unbroken seal, but when her bag was searched by a female security guard she was told she needed a note from her doctor to take in any non-prescription meds.

“I just said, ‘I need those’ and she responded with, ‘Well what do you need them [the tampons and medication] for?’ which really took me aback,” she said.

“It’s bad enough being at a festival on your period as it is, but being told you’re not allowed to bring in anything to deal with your period just seems absolutely absurd.”

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Instead of handing them over and having to get more from the first aid tent inside the festival, Steph decided to take them into the festival hidden down her top.

“It felt ridiculous having to smuggle things as important as medication and tampons into a festival, but it got the job done,” she said.

It’s just ridiculous in the first place that they would prevent you from bringing your own sanitary products into a 12 hour long festival.”

The festival told Hack tampons weren't banned. Other festival-goers have complained on the Spilt Milk Facebook page about having items confiscated by security.

Bella wrote:

“Thanks for ruining the start of a great day! I was told my bag was too 'big' to take in to the festival. I have brought the same very bag into multiple festivals and never had a problem.”

She then wrote she was charged $10 to cloak her bag and couldn’t access it until she was leaving the festival.

Kate fumed about having her antihistamines and small bottle of perfume taken away.

“If I die from an asthma/hay fever related attack you'll be getting the bill spilt milk xxxx”

Did you head along to Spilt Milk and have trouble with security? Message us on Facebook or email hack@abc.net.au

It comes after the festival almost became the first in Australia to have pill testing facilities on site to keep people safe, but it was cancelled.

“This is a festival that was progressive enough to look at pill testing to reduce harm to people that go to their festival,” Steph said.

"To turn around and prevent people from taking in medication and tampons just seems to go completely against their desire to reduce harm.”

Spilt Milk organisers told Hack tampons weren’t actually on the list of banned items, but liquids and non-prescription medication were.

“Tampons are not a banned item unless tampered with and are provided free at First Aid in case,” Spilt Milk director Jeff Drake said in a statement.

“We are very sorry to hear that one guard may have acted outside of our event safety procedure and we have taken this up with our security management company to ensure situations like this do not occur in the future,” Jeff said.

Hack has contacted the security company contracted by Spilt Milk, ISEC Security, but they declined to comment.

“The safety of the 25,000 patrons is our top priority and as such we have strict entry terms and conditions including banned items and restrictions around medication and liquids.”