Allen snub angers festival boss

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Lily Allen has pulled out of the Isle of Wight Festival, angering organisers who claim her reason for cancelling her appearance is "not acceptable".

Promoter John Giddings told BBC 6 Music the singer had been booked since November but has cancelled because her next album is behind schedule.

He said he had decided not to sue the star, but added: "I didn't book a record, I booked an artist."

Allen's spokesman declined to comment on the issue.

Mr Giddings said the album delay was "not an acceptable excuse" and questioned whether he had been given the real reason for her absence.

"I read in the tabloids a load of different reasons," he said.

"Unfortunately this country has developed some great new girl singer songwriters, but they seem to be having a few problems don't they?"

'Ecologically sound'

Allen will not be replaced - instead Mr Giddings said he would use the money to make the event more environmentally friendly.

He said: "If you read what Radiohead say, that they're only going to play events in future that are properly ecologically sound, then I'd rather use the money to do that and make the audience experience better, than just book another group.

"I want to make our festival ahead of the game in all of this, making it carbon neutral, and with the Isle of Wight bringing in their Eco Island policy, this would dovetail perfectly into that."

The Police, The Sex Pistols and The Kaiser Chiefs will be among the big names at this year's festival, which runs from 13-15 June.

It was totally their fault and the whole situation has angered and upset me Lily Allen on a brush with the paparazzi Meanwhile, Lily Allen has hit out at the paparazzi after a photographer smashed her car window.

"There were so many of them hassling us that it is difficult to say which one of them did it, but I had to leap in a taxi to get away from them," she wrote on her MySpace blog.

"It was a scary situation and I want people to know that it was totally their fault and that the whole situation has angered and upset me."