The promoter of a horse fair which has caused concerns amongst local residents and business has said they "don't want any trouble" and the event will be "the safest place on Earth".
The fair is set to be held this weekend in Nuthall, just off junction 26 of the M1, and caravans were seen pulling into the site on Wednesday night (April 24).
Potentially thousands of visitors are set to arrive at the event, which has sparked concern from locals, with some nearby businesses even planning on closing for the weekend.
It has also been reported that the landowners, Horton Estates Ltd, has not given permission for the fair to go ahead, despite the organisers saying they have signed a lease.
The event was previously held three times a year in Kenilworth from 2001, but was forced to relocate after that site was sold to developers last year.
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Mick Davidson, 74, who helps to promote the horse fair and has been travelling with various fairs for three decades, said there would be litter pickers to ensure the site would be left clean after the event.
"We don't want trouble - this is the safest place on Earth," he told Nottinghamshire Live.
"I suppose Nottingham was a good choice because it's Midlands based, and it has been advertised as the biggest and best Midlands fair.
"People come from all over to see relatives. It's a huge meet up.
"The only reason it came a bit short notice was because we like to keep the fair on the same dates, and this was the best location we could get.
"The event is mainly for people to come and sell horses. There will be a lot of horse trade and 'slap of the hand'."
Slap of the hand relates to the bartering between traders, when a buyer goes to shake hands on the deal for a horse, and the seller 'slaps' the hand to agree on price, or slaps the hand away to refuse.
"Sometimes this sort of thing worries people. They think 'what's going on?' but it's just tradition."
He added: "I'd love for people to see the bow top wagons. There was one that took 12 months to paint and was going for £100,000.
"These people [who make and decorate the wagons] are gifted. It's an art.
"There are stalls selling nice things too and locals are welcome to come and set up to sell their goods.
"This is a brilliant site. Being close to the motorway is ideal and we want to respect it so hopefully it can be used for years to come."
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He said good weather could attract more people to the fair, possibly 'thousands'.
"People should just come down and see. For cars, there's a £5 charge but if people are on foot, it's no charge," he added.
"It's a family event. We just ask for children to be careful around the horses."
One of the organisers, who asked to be known only as Nelson, said the land has been leased and maintained by them for the last nine years, with horses kept on site.
Horton's has denied this, and have said they are seeking legal advice.
Nelson added: "We're just here for the horse fair. The last thing we want is to cause trouble.
"People have got the wrong impression and are using words to describe us without seeing for themselves.
"This is a contained site and we have allocated an area for parking, so no one needs to use residential areas, or park on the roads.
"For anyone concerned with mess left behind, there are large skips on site and I can assure you these fields will look exactly as they do now.
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"It's not nice to hear that businesses are closing. There's no need for that.
"I would tell anyone who's uncertain to come and visit this weekend and see for themselves."
Via East Midlands has warned about disruption on the roads due to the fair, which could affect the A610 and the M1 at junction 26 up to the Nuthall roundabout.
The company, which manages roads in the county, said to expect disruption between 8am on Friday, April 26 and 4.30pm on Sunday, April 29.
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