Piles of rubbish and manure left strewn across market village after horse fair

A village market has been littered with rubbish and manure after an annual festival dating back to 1269 concluded.

Wickham, Hampshire, hosts each year’s horse fair, held by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

The fair is one of the oldest in the UK, and is held every May 20.

It began when King Henry III granted a Royal Charter to Wickham to hold fairs and markets in town.

But images of the village after this year’s fair have shown piles of manure and trash dumped on the roads after the bash.

Shops and pubs had shut their doors in preparation for the event, which sees street vendors set up and sell food and clothing to crowds of attendees.

Police said they worked with locals to help ensure the event was safe and enjoyable for all.

Members of the RSPCA also attend the event each year to ensure the horses are well taken care of.

Trash was seen spilling out of bins and onto the streets, where remnants of street food sold at the fair sat in the sun.

RSPCA inspectorate equine officer Jon Knight told the Echo: ‘The animals here look absolutely fine, there is nothing of concern at this moment in time.

‘There may be a few concerns about access to water but there is water available here if needed otherwise everything here is looking good and healthy.

‘We are here to engage and we understand the reasons why the fair is on with the royal charter, we understand it’s their day that they look forward to and we’re here to support and to monitor.’

Bernice Wall, whose family organises the fair, told the Hampshire Chronicle: ‘This year has been brilliant. There is a much bigger market this year which people have really appreciated. As the day has gone on, more people have come.

‘There are more rides in the funfair and there are a really good mixture of not only the gypsy community but also local people. So we are very pleased to see that local people are coming back.’

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