One of Kent’s most popular summer events has been granted a reprieve at the 11th hour.

The Maidstone River Festival will return for a 29th year, after organisers received a huge amount of public support for the event.

Organisers cancelled the two day festival earlier this year because of new policing costs for public events.

But after discovering details in an Appeal Court transcript - which they believe show the advice on charges is being misinterpreted by the police - they have reconsidered.

The team say they will continue to challenge the police costs but have confirmed that they will now stump up the fee if their bid fails.

River Festival chairman David Knight said: "We were running out of time and had to take a decision one way or another.

"This has dragged on much longer than we had hoped and we are still negotiating with the police.

“We have had a huge amount of support from local residents, businesses and a good many councillors.

"All have sent messages of support and that too has made us all the more determined to fight to keep the River Festival alive."

He added that making this decision carried a certain amount of risk for the organisers but they hope it will allow time for people to make plans to attend and for sponsors to get behind the River Festival.

They now face a busy ten weeks of organising and raising funds for the festival before Saturday, July 26.

Maidstone Borough Commander Chief Inspector Tony Henley said: “We are reassured that the festival organisers fully accept the need to meet legitimate costs of policing the event following the announcement that it will go ahead.

“Once the organisers have provided us with a detailed plan of the event, we will be able to assess the levels of policing required and the charges in accordance with the national guidelines.’

He added: “We will continue to work with the River Festival organisers to ensure that we play our part in making it enjoyable for all.”

The format for the festival will be the same as previous years, more details are available on the River Festival website.