London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been urged to rescue the iconic Notting Hill Carnival.

Notting Hill Carnival organisers have said the event is in jeopardy without government funding.

Ian Comfort, the carnival’s chairman, has written to the Culture Secretary to ask for vital funds to keep its two million strong event going.

The Government has previously supported the historic carnival through bodies such as The Arts Council England, but it is understood that the organisers are requesting direct funding for the first time since its inception in 1966.

Mr Comfort has told the Culture Secretary that investment was needed for stewarding and crowd management to allow for police to effectively focus on “crime prevention and public protection”.

He warned that the GLA and two councils could no longer “meet the growing operational requirements” of stewarding the event.

It is unclear how much funding the carnival organisers are asking for.