TICKETS for this year's Truck Festival sold out within hours.

Truck, a showcase of local, national and international rock, folk, dance, country and alternative musical talent, takes place on July 21 and 22, at Hill Farm, Steventon, near Abingdon.

Always popular, demand for the £55 tickets for this year's tenth anniversary event was steep even by Truck standards. Last year's festival took more than two weeks to sell out.

All 3,500 tickets released for sale were snapped-up by fans, leaving thousands disappointed - and the line-up has yet to be announced.

The first batch of 1,500 tickets went on sale on Tuesday, exclusively at music and book shops in Oxford, Abingdon, Didcot, Wallingford, Wantage, Witney and Reading.

Queues formed outside many shops, before they opened. At Fopp, in Gloucester Green, Oxford, tickets sold out in an hour. A second batch went to stores yesterday, with queues again forming almost instantly - as hopeful festival-goers alerted friends.

Outside the Music Box, in Cowley Road, Oxford, Edmond Bennett - father of festival organiser musician Robin Bennett - sold tickets to fans waiting outside the store for it to open.

The remaining 2,000 were sold on the festival's website.

Since being set up ten years ago, the event has grown from a small village gathering, to one of the UK's top festivals - pulling in fans from across the country.

Organiser, the Oxford-based Truck Records label, set up by Mr Bennett's band Goldrush, has always tried to give local fans first opportunity to buy tickets.

He said: "We had about 20,000 people trying to buy 3,500 tickets. We are really pleased the festival has proved so popular. We are just sorry for those that didn't get their tickets. It would be nice if everyone could come - but we are looking at doing something next time to see if more people can enjoy Truck."

"I am looking forward to seeing everyone in July - and I'm sure we'll have some treats!"

Mark Sharman, of Witney music store Rapture, said: "Last year there was a trickle of tickets being sold, but this time it was really busy. We had people who had driven from London, and one guy who had come up from Dorset.

"Truck Festival has built up over the years, but people love it because it's still laid back and no hassle. It's a local festival, for, mostly, local people."

Last year's Truck Festival raised £57,000 for charities and good causes.