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The Shrewsbury Folk Festival has revealed this year’s event will be the last time performers are allowed to paint their faces black. In the announcement it was also declared that any dancers insisting on the using the charcoal colour would not be welcome at next year’s event. The ban has sparked anger among Morris dancers and Shropshire residents. Joseph Healey, the secretary of the Britannia Coconut Dancers of Bacup, said that for his group the tradition comes from the mining heritage, and has no link to race.

GETTY Morris dancers have been banned from painting their faces black

Discussing the racism claims, he told LBC: “Are these people going to turn onto the black pudding fraternity and say you can’t call it a black pudding? “It gets ridiculous in some sense of the word.” The performer added that because a face with black make-up is part of Morris dancers' history then they should be free to perform while wearing it. Mr Healey said: “We will always dance in a black face because that is the full and complete costume that we turn out in.”

GETTY The Shrewsbury Folk Festival said it will no longer book sides that use full face black make up

It gets ridiculous in some sense of the word Joseph Healey

He also hit back at the suggestion that his group should use a purple colour in place of the current charcoal. The ban was announced after the festival received complaints from people saying the 500-year-old tradition was racist. Festival director Sandra Surtees said they found themselves “caught between two sides” of the argument. She said: “We have been approached by one group that has requested we no longer book sides that use full face black make up and another that has asked us not to change our policy and to continue to book these sides.

GETTY The ban has evoked fury among performers and Shropshire residents alike