Second horse fair of year returns to Kenilworth

KENILWORTH is bracing itself for chaos on the town’s roads as the second horse fair of the year returns this weekend.

The event, popular with travellers, will once again take place around the Thickthorn Island in Leamington Road and will see visitors come from all over the country.

The Horse Fair will run on Saturday and Sunday and the large number of visitors means the roads in Kenilworth and the surrounding areas often come to a standstill.

Horse fairs are held across the country with the opportunity to buy and sell horses.

They are traditionally attended by Romany people and travellers who meet at the fairs to trade horses and get together with friends and family.

It takes place three times a year The event, which takes place three times each year , sometimes leads to an upsurge in travellers setting up illegal camps in Coventry and Warwickshire in the build-up to the event.

That has not yet been the case in advance of this year’s event, though one group of travellers did set-up camp in Charterhouse fields off London Road in Coventry last weekend.

They were served with an eviction notice on Tuesday, July 24, and left the site, which next to the historic Charterhouse medieval monastery, the same day.

The first horse fair of 2018 in Kenilworth took place on April 28 and 29.

It saw Coventry affected also, when police were called to the Showcase Cinema at the Cross Point business park on Sunday April 29 .

West Midlands Police confirmed officers attended to deal with large groups of people who visit the cinema when the Kenilworth Horse Fair is on.

In total officers were there for nine hours.

Expected to be busy Warwickshire Police have said they expect it to be busy in Kenilworth around the site of the horse fair over the weekend and have urged people to plan their journeys accordingly.

They have also reminded people of parking restrictions that will be in place.

Sergeant Chris Kitson from the local Safer Neighbourhood Team said: “We’re expecting it to be busy on the roads around the site of the Kenilworth Horse Fair so I would urge people to plan their journey and use an alternative route if they can.

“We expect it to be especially busy on Sunday afternoon when people are leaving the site.

“There will be parking restrictions in place on the Leamington Road, Kenilworth, on Saturday and Sunday.”

Sergeant Kitson said officers would be on patrol to reassure people attending the event and those who live close by.

He added: “We will have officers on patrol in the area to provide reassurance to the local community.”

The third Kenilworth Horse Fair of the year is scheduled to take place on September 29 and 30.