Photographers are set to boycott three Stone Roses concerts after demands they sign contracts restricting use of their images.

Freelance photographer Ian Turton has organised the boycott involving hundreds of snappers who will not attend the band’s three reunion concerts this weekend at Heaton Park in Manchester.

The National Union of Journalists, which is backing the boycott, said initially the photographers were expected to surrender their copyright to the band so they could only be used in the magazine they were commissioned by.

Under the contract, the band would then pay £1 to own all the rights to the photos and they could be used for merchandising, without crediting the photographers for their use.

After protests, a replacement contract was issued by the band on Monday but this still restricted the editorial use of images from the concerts, so the boycott was arranged.

NUJ freelance organiser John Toner said: “We fully understand why a band would wish to retain merchandising rights, and the photographers would be happy to concede this. Equally, a photographer must have the right to license editorial use of images without obtaining the band’s permission for each use.”