The organiser of the Timber Festival in Moira says this year's event can go ahead as planned with the correct Covid measures in place.

Rowan Cannon told MPs festivals have the potential to be "as safe as Sainsbury's", despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

She said that, while large events like Glastonbury have been cancelled, smaller-scale shows could go ahead as long they have the correct distancing precautions.

The BBC website reports her as telling the House of Commons Culture Select Committee - which is examining the live music sector: "The idea that the festivals can't go ahead and be socially-distanced is inaccurate."

This year's Timber Festival is scheduled to go ahead on July 2, 3 and 4 at Feanedock, a 70 acre woodland site in Moira.

Cannon urged MPs to consider the diversity of the UK's festival scene, which includes everything from boutique, location-specific events to "80,000 20-year-olds in a field".

She noted that the two festivals she organises - Just So in Cheshire and Timber - could easily protect their audiences amid the pandemic.

"They're both a capacity of around 5,000. They both have vast sites of about 100 acres," she explained.

"We can absolutely adapt our programming, put infrastructure in place, and change the way that we do things, to enable something to happen with social distancing in place."