Tyson Fury among THOUSANDS of travellers at Appleby as horse fair kicks off TODAY – with locals locking down village
BOXER Tyson Fury has been spotted making his way to the historic Appleby Horse Fair as the annual event kicks off today.
The Gypsy King, 36, will join tens of thousands of visitors who have flooded into the rural village of Appleby-in-Westmoorland, Cumbria, ahead of the festivities.
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He was spotted travelling by horse-drawn cart through Knutsford, Cheshire, as he makes his way to the fair.
Locals are bracing for chaos as hundreds of campervans and horse-drawn carriages descended upon their rural town for the annual event.
Cumbria Police confirmed 30 people had already arrested in the general area as part of an operation ahead of the fair.
The six-day event typically features traditional music, dancing, horse riding, market stalls and horse sales.
Traffic in the area ground to a standstill as visitors from the gypsy, roma and travelling community lined the streets.
Huge queues started forming along the roads as they waited to enter the campsites.
Families and their horses normally descend from miles away to attend the 340-year-old fair.
It falls on the first weekend of June and is recognised as the largest of its kind in Europe.
Horsemen and women have been seen riding their horses in the nearby River Eden as part of a long-held tradition.
The annual gathering dates back to 1685 and is under the protection of a charter granted by James II.
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By the 1900s it had evolved into an event for Gypsies and Travellers.
There remains a huge police presence in the area, with officers on standby ahead of potential chaos and violence.
Narrow country lanes leading to the village have been bursting with horses and caravans in the build-up to the traveller meet-up.
In 2020, the fair was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic, but huge crowds have returned to the event in recent years.
Seven people were arrested at the 2021 meet-up, but the chaos didn't dampen spirits for the hundreds at the historical celebration.
Some locals have closed down their pubs and services in protest.
Fed-up residents living in the neighbouring village of Gargrave even drew up battle plan in preparation.
They have complained of a spike in crime and anti-social behaviour with human excrement found in bushes, trees hacked down and scorch marks found on the village greens.
Last year, more than 60 pick-up trucks and horse-drawn caravans descended on the village, with loud generators running throughout the night.
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