EXCLUSIVE: Unprecedented restrictions are awaiting travellers descending in their thousands on the historic Appleby horse fair as despairing locals fight back.
Unprecedented restrictions are awaiting travellers descending in their thousands on the historic Appleby horse fair as despairing locals fight back against the annual gathering.
The town's main street is used for showing horses set to be traded and horses are tethered to railings outside the pubs, making it look like 'the Wild West.'Disorder last year was 'the last straw' as far as the people of a neighbouring market town was concernedEvery pub in Kirkby Stephen will close for the first time in living memory, with only one community-owned club staying up to serve alcohol.
And Travellers are incensed that the Flashing Lane - one of the fair's central attractions - has undergone safety work, including traffic calming for horses and sulkie carriages. Railings along the high street have been covered by boards decorated with artwork so that horses can't be tied up outside the town's most popular coffee shop
'They were squirting urine from plastic bottles into cars, one culprit walked away with trolley loads of goods from the Coop store without paying and there was even a shoplifting raid on a charity shop. 'Although pubs take substantial amounts during fair season, the landlords feel it simply is not worth it because of the disorder that comes every year.
Mark was subjected to insults and intimidation, with one traveller yelling 'Kirkby Stephen is on fire lads'The townsfolk say they have driven to such drastic action by years of anti-social behaviour 'The local people prefer the pubs to be closed because they hope it cuts down the amount of disorder caused by drink and the police and licensing authority also backed the pubs closing.One local farmer said: 'We allowed them to tether their horses on the lane near our land but found that crops had been trampled because they let them into the fields. When we complained, bags of silage were slashed open. It is completely lawless and needs to stop.
Read MoreEXCLUSIVE Fearless farmer who came under siege from travellers as he tried to stop them moving onto his land before Appleby Horse Fair is hailed a 'hero' by locals for 'keeping his cool' as faced barrage of abuse 'But we have to remember this is a cultural event, it's their Olympics, their big get together and everyone needs to do their best to get on alongside each other.
'If I was going somewhere on holiday with my family and the destination got wind of our arrival and shut down for the duration of our stay I would not be very happy.' 'People use it to show their horses and you get them running up there in each direction. They say they've done it to make things safer but they've increased the chance of horses colliding, it's a disgrace.'
A spokesperson for Westmorland and Furness Council said: 'Measures include improvements to signage in and around the town, a temporary height restrictor and residents' exemption permits at Appleby Leisure Centre with the intention of preventing illegal camping during the fair, temporary traffic calming measures to prevent excessive travelling speeds of horses and sulkies and the removal of the fencing within the verge of the C3004 Appleby to Dufton road, along with theinstallation of a...
In its 250 year history the fair has only been cancelled twice, the first in 2001 during the foot and mouth outbreak and the second in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.
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