Festival organisers have offered refunds to people who bought tickets for a two-day concert without realising they could miss many of the acts.

Some businesses and residents in Lewes are angry and disappointed after discovering the Gentlemen of the Road festival headlined by Mumford and Sons will not let people go in and out of the festival site throughout both days.

Organisers said the policy is standard for festivals but although details of the restrictions were available online, people who bought tickets locally had not been aware.

Tony Leonard, the landlord of the Snowdrop Inn pub, said: “We have heard from a lot of local people who are not happy about this.

“They had been hoping to be able to go in and out of the festival as and when they wanted.

“I know one 82-year-old lady who has bought a ticket as she loves the idea of such a brilliant event in the middle of her home town, not least because she can pop home for tea and a nap in the afternoon before returning later.

“Similarly, families with young children have loved the thought of being able to take the kids home and leave them with a babysitter.

“If movement in and out of the site is not allowed, why would the residents of Lewes be willing to put up with the massive disruption this event will cause?”

The event on July 19 and 20 is expected to attract up to 25,000 people.

No re-admissions policies are commonplace throughout the music industry and are applied by event organisers because it stops bottlenecks at the entrance and exit gates and provides greater control over numbers and security.

A spokesman for the organisers said: “While these terms and conditions were clearly stipulated to ticket purchasers through the official online channels upon sale, we understand that these were not made available to ticket buyers in person at local vendors in Lewes.

“We apologise for this, and will honour full refunds to those of you who would no longer like to attend the event based on the ‘no re-admission’ policy. If you require a refund on your ticket due to the no re-admission |policy, then please email support@musicglue.com.”