RUBBISH has been left strewn across a field by travellers at Appleby Horse Fair.
Filthy used mattresses, dozens of plastic crates and empty food containers have been abandoned in a field at Appleby-in-Westmoreland, Cumbria.
Some 10,000 travellers flock to the area every year to buy and sell horses – bringing with them more than 1,000 caravans and 3,000 horse-drawn vehicles.
And now a mammoth-clean up operation will have to begin as the picturesque town returns to normality.
The fair plays host to members of gypsy, Roma and travelling communities, including Irish Travellers and British Romanichal.
They flock to the remote area to celebrate the 250-year-old event.
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It has only been cancelled twice, in 2001 due to foot-and-mouth disease and in 2020 due to Covid restrictions.
The fair originated in the 1770s on Gallows Hill where sheep, cattle and horse dealers went to sell their stock.
By the 1900s it had evolved into an event for gypsies and travellers.
It officially kicked off on Thursday, June 8 and officially ends on Wednesday, June 14 – though many have left already.
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Photographs of one field today show rubbish strewn across a field.
A foal can be seen lying in the grass in one image, behind a broken canopy and abandoned plastic bags.
Large tubs of "natural yogurt" and Heinz mayonnaise have also been left next to two filthy mattresses in one corner of the field.
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