a day ago
Appleby horse fair leaves fields strewn with rubbish and burnt out van
Pictures show rubbish-strewn fields in the aftermath of the event, which saw a blaze break out as 30,000 people descended on the sleepy market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland in Cumbria
A huge clean-up operation is underway after tens of thousands attended the Appleby Horse Fair this weekend.
Pictures show rubbish-strewn fields in the aftermath of the festival, including the burnt-out remains of a white van after it was engulfed in a blaze on Saturday, which also destroyed a nearby stall.
The gathering, said to be the biggest traditional gypsy fair in Europe, saw around 10,000 people from the Gypsy and traveller community flock to the market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria.
The event drew 30,000 visitors between June 6 and 12 as spectators lined the streets to watch travellers, some just children, race along the narrow streets at breakneck speed while others rode horses through the water.
Now new pictures show the full extent of the cleanup operation in the aftermath of the weekend's festivities, with fields covered with rubbish and charred remains following a fire.
Images posted on social media captured the blaze, as crowds gathered watching smoke billow across the fair. Footage shows a fire blazing in a white van which had been set up alongside a stall and tables in one corner of the field.
Revellers watched on in horror as smoke billowed around the van and stall, engulfing a nearby tent as onlookers covered their faces - with some braving the flames to move belongings out of harm's way.
An explosion caused some would-be rescuers to step back however, as others rushed to dismantle a nearby white tent while flames completely consumed the nearby van.
The crowd whooped and cheered as fire crews arrived on the scene, the video clips show, with the inferno brought under control by emergency crews on Saturday afternoon.
Other footage showed cops investigating stalls at the fair, showing seven officers at work among the traders. Cumbria Police officers were reportedly supporting Westmorland and Furness Council Trading Standards, who last year seized more than £500,000 worth of counterfeit goods.
Despite the fire and soggy weather the spirits of the attendees remained undampened, with festival goers flocking to the tiny town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, which see's its normal population of just 3,000 people increase be a factor of 10 each year with the fair's arrival.
The event originated in the 1770s, with sheep, cattle and horse dealers meeting to sell their stock. By the 1900s, it had evolved into a gathering which has since become hugely popular with travellers.
