Lambeth police advised the council not to go ahead with its much-loved summer festival, it has emerged.

Lambeth council leader Steve Reed said today the police, under former borough commander Nick Ephgrave, advised the council not to hold the Lambeth Country show during the Olympics because of heightened security risks.

He said police could not guarantee that extra officers would be available while the Games were taking place in London.

But he said a final decision on whether to cancel the show, held annually in Brockwell Park, had not been made, describing it instead as a “recommendation”.

He added that the council’s original announcement regarding the show’s cancellation had not been entirely accurate, particularly in regards to whether it could be re-scheduled.

He said: “Back in November when we were working on our budget plans ready for publication, we were advised the Country Show could not go ahead as usual for security reasons.

“We asked for alternative ways to run the event, perhaps on a smaller scale or on a different weekend, alongside a range of small Olympic-themed community events across the borough.

“This is currently only a recommendation – a final decision will be taken within the next week or so.

“But we will have to stick to the available budget, which limits our options, as there’s not enough money to run the full-scale event as usual, due to increased security costs associated with the Olympics and Government funding cuts.”

Liberal Democrat group leader, councillor Ashley Lumsden, formally challenged the decision to bin the event over the weekend, but there is now doubt as to whether his objection will stand.

He said Coun Reed’s latest comments marked a “huge climb down” from the initial announcement, saying: “This is a great sign the community campaign to save the show is winning over members of the Labour cabinet.

"Now we need some answers as to when we can hold the event – August will be better than September.”

Almost 1400 have now signed a petition to reinstate the show, which attracts more than 160,000 revellers to Lambeth each year.