GYPSIES and travellers are being urged not to make their journey to Appleby Horse Fair too soon.

It still more than six week until the annual gathering gets underway but to ensure the safety of those travelling to the town Appleby Horse Fair Multi-Agency Strategic Co-ordinating Group (MASCG) is advising people not to arrive prematurely.

The number of stopping places being made available on the route to Appleby is falling year on year and people are asked to keep this in mind when making plans.

Gypsy and traveller representative Billy Welch, a member of MASCG, said: “Each year we ask people not to arrive too soon to the fair and each year the response from gypsies and travellers is positive.

“Those people travelling across with bow tops obviously have no option but to set off early but I would ask those with towed caravans not to come too soon, particularly with the loss of some important stopping places in recent years such as Makepeace’s Field near Alston.”

Areas of the A685 identified as particularly unsafe for stopping will be clearly marked and strictly enforced – including horse-drawn vehicles. Those who ignore the markings risk a court summons or Traffic Offence Report (fixed penalty) and vehicles may be removed by recovery vehicles.

Cumbria Police Chief Superintendent Rob O’Connor added: “For the police, our number one priority is always the safety of everyone involved.

“If we have large numbers of Gypsies and Travellers arriving too soon it risks creating problems on the road network and putting at risk all road users.

“I would ask people to please heed this advice in order to keep themselves and others safe in the lead up to this year’s Fair.”

A list of available stopping places can be found at www.applebyfair.org.