Tents, burnt-out caravans and 123 arrests: Appleby Horse Fair ends in rubbish and chaos

9 June 2025, 17:02

Tents, burnt-out caravans and sofas were all left strewn across the fields of a picturesque rural town by the thousands of travellers who attended the popular Appleby Horse Fair.

The six-day event in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, concluded on Sunday and saw its fair share of chaos, with multiple arrests and a fire breaking out on Saturday afternoon.

A huge clean-up operation is now underway to tackle the huge mounds of rubbish left behind after an estimated 40,000 people descended on the area for this year's fair.

Pictures show grazing horses standing in the muddy fields surrounded by toppled portable loos and cardboard boxes.

Stacks of discarded food and drinks could also be seen scattered around the historic market town.

A burnt-out caravan was also spotted on the campsite, cordoned off by police tape and fences.

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Shocking footage posted onto social media on Saturday showed fire crews tackling the blaze at the 340-year-old event.

Smoke could be seen billowing into the sky, as many punters covered their faces with jumpers and coats to avoid the toxic fumes.

Police officers formed a barricade to stop people getting close to the fire, which was eventually brought under control.

Cumbria Police confirmed that the cause of the fire s not being treated as suspicious.

Some 80 people were arrested at this year's fair, marginally higher than the 74 recorded last year, according to the fair's Multi Agency Strategic Coordinating Group (MASCG).

In total, 123 arrests were made this year under the Appleby Horse Fair policing operation, including those made in the weeks building up to the event.

Gold Commander for Appleby Horse Fair, Detective Superintendent Dan St Quintin, said: "My officers have once again been on the front-foot and proactive in their efforts to make this event as safe as we can.

"The results of their efforts - and the goodwill of the vast majority of people in all communities - is fewer crimes recorded and a fair which has seen zero incidents of significant disorder or violent incidents.

"I would like to thank all communities for this, whilst also paying tribute to my officers for their outstanding work in recent days and weeks, during challenging circumstances, including the extremely wet weather we saw on Saturday."

The fair typically features traditional music, dancing, horse riding, market stalls and horse sales.

For the event, hundreds of campervans and horse-drawn carriages descend upon the rural town - home to around 3,200 people.

Market stalls also pop up across the town's streets, selling a variety of traditional traveller goods and horse-related products.

One of the event's longstanding traditions sees horsemen and women riding their horses in the nearby River Eden.

The fair was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. Since then, huge crowds have returned each year.