Science says it's time to ditch the festival wristbands

Festivals are great, we all know that. That might be why so many people like to keep those rotting wristbands adorned on their wrists as a memento.

You don’t want to let go of the time-of-your-life, but by doing so you are also holding on to so much more – the festival filth!

According to the University of Surrey's microbiologist Dr Alice Cottell, festival wristbands are rampant with bacteria, and contain a concentration of around 9,000 micrococci and 2,000 staphylococci, which amounts to around twenty times more than is found on clothes.

Although this bacteria can normally be found on human skin and is "usually harmless", Dr Cottell added that the excessive wear of wristbands and exposure to the bacteria they carry can cause "boils and infections of cuts and grazes", and in some cases "acute food poisoning if they are ingested".

The design of the wristbands allows them to come into contact with food, mud and even toilet matter when you're using a shiny portaloo at the event.

She has advised those working in professions involving food preparation or healthcare to definitely ditch the mementos, and everyone else should to.

Why add to the myriad health risks already present from your festival trip? Healthcare specialists for the NHS Festival Survival Guide have warned against hypothermia, hearing damage, burning from gas equipment and even trench foot- something which many of us believed to be only existent in our history textbooks.