Horse Fair meeting offers residents hope of a more peaceful May - Farron

MP Tim Farron has hailed the public meeting held in Sedbergh with the police, council and 100 local residents a 'major step forward' in preventing the anti social behaviour that has plagued the Sedbergh area in the run up to Appleby Horse Fair in recent years.

The meeting laid out the new plans for dealing with the problems that have plagued the Sedbergh and Cautley area at the time of Appleby fair. For the first time, there will be strict highways orders along the road between Devils Bridge at Kirkby Lonsdale and the Rawthey Bridge at Cautley. These controls will be much more tightly policed as - this year - there will be a total of eight police officers designated to protecting residents and enforcing the orders throughout May.

These new orders and controls will be publicised locally and throughout the traveller community so that they know that a repeat of last year's situation will not be permitted.

There are still some concerns relating to the practice of a minority of travellers who break into fields and leave their horses there. Tim is pressing for Trading Standards and Police to deal with this by demanding to see 'horse passports' to establish ownership.

Tim said: "We have been working hard over the last few months with the local residents, the police and local councils to bring in new measures to end the problems that local people have had to endure in the run up to the Horse Fair. Residents' lives have been made a misery and this is totally unacceptable. The new plans got a positive reaction at the meeting from residents but we all want to make sure they work in practice. Its vital that we keep working hard to protect residents and to ensure that the law-abiding majority of travellers are not blighted by a minority."