Final Kenilworth horse fair of year '˜quiet'

The fair, held on land off Thickthorn Island on Saturday September 23 and Sunday September 24, did not cause a great deal of disruption, unlike the last one.

Pete Cutts, Safer Communities Manager at Warwick District Council, said: “Although the site was busy, visitor numbers were considerably down compared to other fairs.

“There were no traffic issues or hold ups at all over the whole weekend and no significant crime or disorder issues.”

During July’s fair, Michael and Sandie Barnwell’s windows were smashed by ‘kids wielding catapults’. They live in Thickthorn Orchards, right next to the horse fair site.

Because of this, as well as other incidents, there was an increased police presence at last weekend’s fair and a ‘buffer zone’ on the site so there was more distance between the fair and nearby properties.

The fair’s organisers also agreed to ban the sale of catapults on site.

Incidents reported during last weekend’s fair by police were relatively minor.

These included a scrap vehicle being set on fire on the site during Sunday evening, a horse and trap being sent back to the site, and two groups of youths causing nuisance in a shop.

Before the fair, a small group of travellers camped on land in Abbey Fields just off Bridge Street. But they and travellers on other sites left to head to the fair by Thursday September 21.

The future of the Kenilworth fairs are uncertain after the district council adopted its Local Plan on Wednesday September 20.

The site of the fair is set to be developed as part of the plan, but it is not known when the land will be sold to potential developers.