Appleby river access reopened after two-day closure

Access points along the River Eden on The Sands and at Jubilee Ford were closed yesterday (June 4) when Multi-Agency Strategic Co-ordinating Group (MASCG) for Appleby Horse Fair found the river level had risen above the safe limit of 0.5m.

The closure continued into the morning of June 5 as water levels remained unsafe and another review later in the day noted that the river levels had "fallen significantly" but not enough to be safe.

Water levels were deemed to be safe enough for people to begin horse washing in the afternoon of June 5 (Image: MASCG for Appleby Horse Fair)

Horse washing is a traditional activity at Appleby Horse Fair, where people and horses enter the River Eden each year.

But the activity has been limited in the first two days of the Fair, due to river access being blocked off.

Specialist RSPCA water rescue officers were deployed to inspect the water level again on the afternoon of June 5, and were "satisfied that the key conditions for safely reopening access to the river have been met."

MASCG for Appleby Horse Fair said in a Facebook statement that: "After further consultation with the agencies in the MASCG, the decision was then taken to reopen access to the river at 3pm."

Chair of the MASCG and Senior Manager for Communities at Westmorland and Furness Council, Claire Notman, said: "An inspection by the RSPCA this afternoon indicated that conditions have improved sufficiently for us to approve the reopening of access to the River Eden at Appleby.

Access points were closed on June 4 and reopened on June 5 subject to river levels changing (Image: MASCG Appleby Horse Fair)

"However, all members of the MASCG are keen to emphasise that people taking animals into the river carries an inherent risk to safety and that anyone choosing to go into the river does so at their own risk.

"People should also be mindful of the potential for unseen debris below the surface of the water and are advised to take extra care.

"Finally, we would like to thank everyone for their patience and for respecting the advice to stay out of the river."

The River Eden rose above the 0.5m safe limit on June 4 (Image: MASCG Appleby Horse Fair)

As more rain is cast over the weekend, the MASCG said it will "continue to monitor water levels and retains the option to enforce a further closure of access points to the River Eden in order to ensure the safety of people and their animals, if necessary."

Any updates will be communicated by the MASCG for Appleby Horse via Facebook and their website at https://applebyfair.org/appleby-horse-fair.