Organisers slammed for removing Fringe web forums

ORGANISERS of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe have been accused to trying to silence criticism of the way the event is run by scrapping online discussion forums.

Fringe-goers have inundated the festival with complaints that the message boards have been taken off the official website without warning.

They have resorted to leaving messages on the Fringe's Facebook site, where the festival claims many of the services that were available on its message boards have been revived.

The online forums were used to exchange news on shows, buy and sell tickets, and discuss issues affecting audiences, performers and venues. But critics claim the festival has been stung by previous criticism of its board and governing body, particularly over the handling of problems with its box office. One Facebook poster, Brendan Walsh, said: "The cynic in me says the forums perhaps made it too easy for people to communicate."

A spokesman for the Fringe insisted the new website was a work in progress. "The old website stayed the same for several years and a lot of the services it used to offer are now being provided by the Fringe in different ways. There is still the opportunity for people to make their views known on our Facebook site," he said.

Meanwhile, Fringe organisers have called an open meeting to try to thrash out how its governing body should be run in future. Hundreds of performers, promoters and venue managers are expected to pack the McEwan Hall on 10 August for the summit, which is expected to discuss the biggest shake-up in the Fringe's history.