Sea of garbage left after Appleby horse fair in Cumbria (Photo: SWNS)
These are the shocking consequences of Appleby’s controversial equestrian fair after thousands of revelers flocked to Cumbria.
Cardboard boxes, camping chairs, plastic bags, empty bottles and beer crates were left scattered across the field at the end of the Gypsy and Traveler event – the largest in Europe.
It was an easy lunch for seagulls rummaging through piles of rubbish near the small town of Appleby in Westmoreland.
The photos show dozens of caravans, carts and horses still in place.
About 30,000 people arrived from across the continent for the annual event, which began last Thursday.
One third of them are from the Roma, Traveler and Roma communities.
As the crowds dispersed after the four-day fair, locals were left to clean up the mess.
The Appleby Fair Community group posted photos of Eden River on Twitter on Sunday with the hashtag #ApplebyHorseFairNeedsToChange.
“Human excrement, rubbish, vandalism,” the publication said. “All in one of our most beautiful places in Appleby. It needs to be cleaned as soon as possible, it is a health hazard! ‘
Cardboard boxes, plastic bags and camping equipment were abandoned at the site (Photo: SWNS) Remaining horse surrounded by rubbish in the field (Photo: SWNS) Dozens of caravans were still parked in the rubbish field (Photo: SWNS) Thousands of community members of gypsies, travelers and Roma attended the fair (Photo: SWNS)
They also shared a photo of what they said was “human excrement” on the ground near the Jubilee Bridge.
Residents of the neighboring town of Kirby Stephen shared their disgust after a war memorial was depicted covered with discarded fast food packaging.
A businessman told the Mirror: “Passengers desecrate World War I memorial in Kirkby Stephen.
“Many of us in the city have relatives who have honored his memory and he has fallen very badly. Despite heightened police patrols, no one has been detained.
In a Facebook post, Appleby Fair employees praised the efforts of “hard-working” cleaning teams.
Appleby Horse Fair in full swing (Photo: Cavendish Press) Man washes his horse in the Eden River (Photo: PA) Celebrators watched from an Appleby Bridge as horses were taken to the river (Photo: SWNS)
Dressed in orange uniforms, they were spotted collecting garbage on the city’s streets.
According to the publication, teams hired under contract by the Eden County Council began emptying the bins and cleaning up after Saturday’s celebrations.
In the past, Appleby Horse Fair has attracted much criticism from charities such as the RSPCA for allegations of cruelty to animals and residents fed up with the mess.
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The charity said it was working with a number of organizations to ensure that animal welfare was a priority.
Sharing photos from the horse race, he said: “We are very sad to see how many young horses are working again.”
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