BOSSES at Scotland’s biggest Pride event say they believe 600 people were turned away from last weekend's shambolic event because of “accidental over-selling of tickets”.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the board of trustees of Glasgow's annual celebration of all things LGBTI apologised "wholeheartedly” for the chaos that saw people being knocked back or forced to queue for hours in blistering heat.

They put the blame on a new system which allowed them to have instant access to cash paid for the tickets.

The board said: “Part of the reasoning behind the issue with overselling was we had moved to a different ticketing system the week before the event which allowed us to withdraw funds the same day, to assist with cash flow.

"As a charity putting on a major event with big-name acts, cash flow is a constant challenge as it is for most Pride organisations.

“When we moved over to the new system, human error meant we didn't cap the types of tickets and this led to tickets being oversold. For this we are sorry. We acknowledge this is unacceptable and offer our sincere apologies to everyone affected.”

Pride Glasgow also say their own initial investigation into what went wrong showed that as well as a overselling tickets, there were "86 reported fence breaches", which led to an unknown number of people being able to get into the festival site at Kelvingrove Park.

Labour MP Ged Killen, who attended the event, has called on Glasgow Pride to offer reassurances that those who lost out will be refunded.

He said: “Having spent well over an hour in a queue outside the main event before leaving and returning later in the day, I witnessed first-hand the chaotic queuing system. People were left standing with no information or guidance for several hours in the heat and with no water.”

“A significant number of people were refused entry to Kelvingrove Park for the main concert despite purchasing tickets. I want categorical reassurances from Pride Glasgow that those who did not gain entry or who faced several hours waiting in line will be refunded promptly and in full.”

He added: “There is now growing interest in the seemingly commercial nature of Glasgow Pride and the fact it is not a free event as it is in other cities such as London and Edinburgh, and there are questions about whether this commercial nature had an impact on how Glasgow Pride was run.”

Pride say refunds are being provided, and have said “if someone feels they are entitled to a refund they should contact ticketsupport@pride.scot within 14 days".

A petition calling on Smith to resign has been signed by more than 1500 people.

Scott Agnew, who co-hosted the Glasgow event, has said he will not work for the organisation again until there is a change of management.

Writing on Facebook, Agnew said the team behind the event had “become overwhelmed by the event and they lack the appropriate professional experience to take it any further".

He accused them of treating the LGBT community with contempt.