THE sun shone brightly today as thousands of travellers ended their annual pilgrimage to arrive at the famous Appleby Horse Fair.

It is the biggest gathering of gypsies and travellers across Europe and dates back to 1685.

Each year members of the travelling community descend on the small Eden town to catch up with friends.

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Previous years have seen complaints about roads and verges on routes surrounding the town being packed with caravans weeks ahead of the event.

But this year, officials believe a campaign to encourage people not to arrive too soon has worked - with numbers down by half.

There was hardly any traffic congestion in and around Appleby this morning as bowtops and trailers were allowed onto Fair Hill earlier under the traffic management of Cumbria Police.

Some travellers took their horses into the River Eden for a wash while others caught up with friends, many of who they saw last at the fair in 2014.

Others raced their horses in the flashing lane with many spectators looking on.

Tomorrow is likely to be much busier as more travellers and visitors make their way to the market town while the weekend could see as many as 30,000 pack into Appleby.

Dr Robin Hooper Chair of the Multi Agency Strategic Co-ordinating Group (MASCG) for Appleby Fair said: “The Annual gathering of Gypsies and Travellers at Appleby opened this morning and I would like to thank the Gypsies and Travellers community for listening to our message about not arriving too soon with their trailers, this has helped to reduce the impact of this event for our rural communities,

"The amount of traffic congestion this morning was also considerably reduced, which is another positive step forward so credit goes to the Gypsies and Travellers involved and Cumbria Police.

"We would ask people attending the Fair to respect the local communities in and around Appleby and use the amenities provided for the event and dispose of their rubbish correctly.”

Billy Welch, a Gypsy and Traveller representative on MASCG, said: “I would like to personally thank the Gypsies and Travellers who are making their way to Appleby Fair for responding positively to our message about not arriving too soon for this year’s event.

"The number of early arrivals has greatly reduced; this has helped to make more spaces available at temporary stopping places for bowtops and for horse grazing.

“This reduction has made a really positive difference to the local communities in Cumbria, for the Police and the others public agencies involved in MASCG. It is something that we hope we can repeat in future years, as we all work together to make the Horse Fair safer and more enjoyable for all concerned.”   

Detective Chief Superintendent Sean Robinson, from Cumbria Police said: “The start of Appleby Horse Fair has gone to plan. The reduction in the number of early arrivals has meant we have only had calls to address minor issues in the build up to the Fair.

"The migration of Gypsies and Travellers onto Fair Hill has gone really well and meant there was little traffic congestion in the local area for residents. We have placed an emergency 40mph speed limit on the A685 road outside the normal 30mph speed limits between Kirkby Stephen and Brough for the next 7 days.

"This will help to improve road safety in the area with more horse drawn vehicles on the roads during this period. So please allow more time for your journeys and slow down."

Road safety will continue to be a priority throughout the day, with bowtops continuing to arrive in the area. Motorists are advised to continue to be careful when driving in the area, with the risk of slow moving vehicles being around the corner.

The RSPCA has warned dog owners not to bring their pets to the Horse Fair.

RSPCA Chief Inspector Rob Melloy said: “Dogs should not be brought to the Horse Fair at all; it is quite simply not a place for them. Horses can get “spooked” by dogs and dogs can get trampled by horses. We also don’t want to see any dogs being left behind in vehicles either.

"I don’t know what it takes for people to get the message that dogs die quickly in hot vehicles. It happens so fast. So do your dog a favour, leave it at home.”

Caravans and awnings can also get hot, even on cloudy days. The RSPCA is working with Cumbria Police on a zero tolerance approach to this and where dogs are considered to be at risk they will be removed.

Keep up to date with the latest Appleby Horse Fair news online at www.applebyfair.org or via Twitter @ApplebyFair or Facebook /ApplebyHorseFair