Organisers of Glastonbury festival have confirmed this year's event will not go ahead due to the coronavirus epidemic.

The 2020 event, which was set to stage the likes of Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar, was due to take place from June 24-28 at Worthy Farm in Somerset, celebrating the 50th year of the iconic festival.

The decision to call off the event has been made before April 1, when those with tickets would have been required to pay the remaining £270 to confirm their place at the legendary festival.

The event was set to celebrate its 50th year anniversary, but this will now take place in 2021 following the cancellation.

It comes following government advice against mass gatherings as well as the cancellation of Radio 1's Big Weekend and Coachella Festival in the US.

"We very much hope that the situation in the UK will have improved enormously by the end of June," said organisers Michael and Emily Eavis in a statement.

"But even if it has, we are no longer able to spend the next three months with thousands of crew here on the farm, helping us with the enormous job of building the infrastructure and attractions.

"We understand that it is not always easy to secure a Glastonbury ticket, which is why we would like to offer all those people the chance to roll their £50 deposit over to next year, and guarantee the opportunity to buy a ticket for Glastonbury 2021.

"Those who would prefer a refund of that £50 will be able to contact See Tickets in the coming days in order to secure that.

"We were so looking forward to welcoming you all for our 50th anniversary with a line-up full of fantastic artists and performers that we were incredibly proud to have booked.

"We look forward to welcoming you back to these fields next year and until then, we send our love and support to all of you."