ORGANISERS of the Live 8 concerts claimed a victory for “people power” after receiving 26.4 million messages in support of their campaign to tackle poverty in Africa.

Viewers in the 130 countries screening the concerts were encouraged to send a text message supporting the campaign along with their name. Those who did so saw their names appear as a tickertape scroll on giant screens at the concerts. The organisers said that 26.4 million messages had been received, beating the previous text record for a single event, the 5.8 million votes totalled for an episode of American Idol.

Participants in the “real-time petition” texted a word such as “unite” or “live8” numerically. Most of the texts emanated from Western Europe, said Ralph Simon, of the Mobilium Group, which organised the operation. “We got messages from people from Albania to Zimbabwe,” Mr Simon said. “This means Bono and Bob Geldof can go to Gleneagles [where the G8 summit is to be held] and say we have created the world’s biggest text book.”

Television-viewing figures for the event, which was broadcast online and by 400 radio stations, are being collated. AOL.com, which streamed video of the concerts, said that more than five million people had logged on to watch during the day. At the peak, 175,000 simultaneous online viewers watched the relay, which allowed users to switch between streams from the various shows. It was the highest response to an online video event.

Some questioned the international impact of the event. The concert received limited television coverage in the US.

But Geldof said that the day had been “full of hope and possibility and life”, while Gordon Brown acknowledged that the display of public support for the campaign to cancel debt and boost aid would affect political leaders. “I think you’ve seen that ministers around the world have been affected by the strength of public opinion, churches, faith groups, and it does have an impact,” the Chancellor told the BBC yesterday.

The enormous clean-up operation at Hyde Park began early yesterday. Westminster council estimated that 150 tonnes of rubbish had been generated by the crowd, the amount normally collected in about 10 days. The council said that the total litter left by all 205,000 people who had gone to the concert, at an average of 3kg (more than 6lb) per person, could be up to 650 tonnes — enough for 72 dustcarts.

The BBC received 350 complaints about swearing after outbursts before the watershed by Madonna and others performing at Hyde Park. The American star uttered the f-word during her set, as did Johnny Borrell, of Razorlight, and the American rapper Snoop Dogg.

Performers had been asked to mind their language, and the BBC apologised for the lapses. But the corporation did not implement a delay during the coverage and said that there was little it could do to prevent performers using foul language.

A DVD of the concerts will be released in November, while the opening version of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band performed by Sir Paul McCartney and U2 has already been made available as a download with proceeds going to charity.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Science News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Sarah Brown says 'no thanks' to veal at G8 - twice
• Stockton-on-Tees is obesity capital of Britain
• Stores blame poor sales on Murray factor