Kenilworth horse fair much busier than expected

The second Kenilworth horse fair of the year was far busier than first expected, police have said.
Traffic on the Leamington Road on Sunday July 31 as a result of the horse fair. NNL-160308-122625001Traffic on the Leamington Road on Sunday July 31 as a result of the horse fair. NNL-160308-122625001
Traffic on the Leamington Road on Sunday July 31 as a result of the horse fair. NNL-160308-122625001

The fair, held last weekend, attracted members of the Traveller community to Kenilworth as early as Wednesday July 27, when caravans and horses amassed near the Chesford Grange Island.

Around 20,000 people attended the fair, which was a similar amount to the April fair.

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An assault and a few incidents of anti-social behaviour were among the crimes reported by police during the fair.

Inspector Dafydd Goddard of Warwickshire Police said: “The trend that has been observed recently of increased numbers of visitors arriving on the Saturday continued for this event.

“A number of Kenilworth’s licensed venues were busy on Saturday evening and officers dealt with a small number of incidents including horses tethered on the street and some anti-social behaviour issues.

“Throughout the course of the weekend one minor assault was recorded on the Sunday that was dealt with immediately by officers. There were no other offences of violence recorded.

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“Overall, around eight incidents were reported to police that were attributable to persons attending the Horse Fair. No arrests were made.”

He also said the traffic management plan worked well, with Leamington Road flowing relatively freely and minimal disruption to the town centre.

But Kenilworth resident John Winters, 53, said: “It’s getting bigger every time. I’ve just learned to stay indoors when it’s on.

“You can’t move for people, it seems a bit ridiculous that such a massive event is allowed in such a small town.”

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And Jackie Harman, 42, said: “You don’t want to get caught out on the roads in the middle of this, it’s horrendous.”

The final horse fair of the year will take place on Saturday September 24 and Sunday September 25.

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