Music at all of the Parklife stages has been turned off as Heaton Park braces itself for thunderstorms.
Fans at The Valley stage were told to ‘move three metres’ away from large structures this afternoon as dark clouds graced the sky ahead of warned thunderstorms.
In a video taken from the stage area, a member of staff instructs attendees: “Please move three metres away from any metal structure and we'll restart the show as soon as it's possible. Thank you."
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Those in attendance also reported some of the access gates to the festival were being closed and people were being advised to stay on the grassy areas of the park.
Parklife tweeted: "Please note for the safety of customers and staff, we are calling a full show stop. We are expecting this to last for 40 minutes whilst the storm passes. Thank you for your patience.
"Due to the storm, we may have to cut power on the stage. During this time, we may not be able to make announcements. Do not use your mobile phone or hold up flags, metal objects, selfie sticks."
Organisers confirmed to the M.E.N that admission had been temporarily paused. A spokesperson said: "The festival is temporarily pausing the entrance gates due to the storm."
A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms remains in place across Greater Manchester today. The warning runs until 9pm this evening and covers the city-region and the rest of the north-west.
Giving details of today's weather warning, the Met Office said: "High temperatures on Sunday will trigger showers and thunderstorms across the warning area, some of which are likely to be torrential , perhaps bringing a few places 30-40 mm in an hour. The odd place, affected by multiple showers, could see more than this, perhaps in excess of 60 mm in a few hours, most likely across Wales and central England.
"As well as rain, additional hazards will be hail, strong gusts of wind, and lightning. Despite this, some places in the warning area will remain dry, or see only small amounts of rain, due to the scattered nature of the heaviest showers."
Metrolink services to Heaton Park are also currently suspended, alongside the entire Bury and Ashton line and some of the Rochdale line, due to ongoing disruption.
Parklife issued a statement saying that they had 'temporarily halted performances' as a result of the storm. The festival resumed music at around 5pm.
“Due to the current weather conditions and local lightning strikes, Parklife has temporarily halted performances at this time,” said a spokesperson. “This is expected to be a short suspension and today’s programme will resume as soon as possible."
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