A HAMPSHIRE music festival organised to raise cash for cancer research could be scrapped because of spiralling policing costs.

Organisers may have to pull the plug on the open-air Bigtop 2004 event planned for Tapnage Farm in Wickham this summer after being landed with a £8,000 bill to police the event.

New licensing laws mean police now charge pubs, clubs and associations for providing officers to police events, which would otherwise have to be paid for by the taxpayer.

Bigtop 2004 organiser Tim Armstrong said the legislation would hit this summer's charity fundraiser hard.

Speaking about the line-up planned for July 10, Tim, who runs Sound Projx in Locks Heath, said: "It is going to be a show-stopper.

"At the moment, the advice we are getting from the police is that they would require £7,000 to £8,000 to police the event - which was actually the total revenue we got last year on the gate.

"Clearly, even if we did have enough money to pay that, it is going to leave nothing for charity, which kind of defeats the object of the event."

Tim said he was already facing a £2,000 bill for private security at the event, which he is putting on with the help of local bands, DJs and performers.

The festival, which attracted 1,800 revellers in 2003, has already run into controversy after 19 residents objected to the plans on the grounds of feared noise pollution.

Many of the objectors made complaints over a similar event last year, which raised more than £500 for the Cancer Research Campaign and St John Ambulance.

Organisers are hoping this year's event will raise twice as much for charity.

But the future of the festival is now in doubt unless a compromise can be found to reduce the policing costs.

Hampshire police have said the event would require a minimum of two inspectors, two sergeants, 36 constables, four traffic motorcyclists and two controllers - at a cost of around £8,000.

No police spokesman was available to comment.