Hundreds of travellers descended on a tiny Cotswold town to enjoy a biannual horse festival as coronavirus restrictions ease across the country.
The famous Stow Horse Fair has returned to Stow-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire today after being cancelled twice last year due to the pandemic.
Romany caravans arrived in the town this morning and sold a range of items, including catapults and chickens, to festival visitors, reports say.
Equine enthusiasts were in paradise as horses were paraded through the festival and sold.
One man was even pictured racing a pony and trap through the muddy field.
Festival attendees wore wellies and anoraks as they braved the wet conditions, with some even going barefoot.
Council officials and police allowed the event to go ahead due to the 'extremely low Covid infection rates', The Sun reports.
A Gloucestershire County Council spokesman told GloucestershireLive said: “Having reviewed the organiser’s risk assessments we reached a collective view that adequate Covid-19 prevention arrangements were being proposed.
“Covid Regulations can only be used to legally stop an event going ahead if there is deemed to be a significant and imminent risk to public health and the use of the legislation would be a proportionate step to take.
"Based on the information provided by the organisers and extremely low infection rates there is insufficient evidence to warrant action under the regulations.
“Officers from Cotswold District Council and the Police, supported by Covid support officers, will be on site throughout the event to monitor compliance. Testing will also be available in the area.”
The Fair dates back almost five hundred years and originally began as a sheep fair for the Cotswold wool trade.
However, over time it started selling other animals and it is now a key event in the traveller community's calendar, drawing in visitors from around the country.
