A company which has staged some of the North East's biggest gigs has had its Instagram account hacked.
SSD Concerts has promoted gigs by the likes of Sam Fender, Noel Gallagher and Foals and the firm was behind last summer's socially distanced shows at the Virgin Money Unity Arena.
However, in what appears to be the work of a disgruntled former employee, the firm's social media account was hacked on Friday.
All that remains on the account's feed is a single post with multiple pictures showing one-star reviews from former staff, containing a number of claims about their time with the company.
Those claims include allegations from a former worker that they were repeatedly underpaid by the firm and made to feel "uneasy" in their working environment.
In a statement, an SSD Concerts spokesperson said: "SSD Concerts media accounts have been hacked and they completely deny any of the allegations made."
The company is considered a success story in recent years, and has grown into one of the UK's largest independent gig promoters.
It is the firm behind This Is Tomorrow, the music festival traditionally held over the May Bank Holiday weekend in Newcastle's Exhibition Park.
Last year's event was due to be headlined by superstars Sam Fender and Gerry Cinnamon. However it was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Instead, the firm later launched the Virgin Money Unity Arena in Gosforth Park. Billed as the world's first socially distanced music arena, it played host to headliners Van Morrison, The Libertines and Frank Turner.
