A TOTAL of 53 arrests were made at a horse fair over the weekend.

Police attending Appleby Horse Fair, in Cumbria – popular with travellers from across the North-East and North Yorkshire – had to deal with an early morning gang brawl as well as confiscating almost 60 whips.

The RSPCA also seized two horses and made six formal warnings during the same period as thousands made their annual pilgrimage to the fair.

One animal had to be humanely destroyed when it was hurt in an accident.

Although most of the arrests involved drunkenness, drugs or public order, a violent clash between two rival gangs saw 27 arrested at 5am yesterday.

One man was taken to hospital with head injuries and later arrested for violence.

Chief Superintendent Steve Johnson, in charge of the Appleby Fair policing operation, said: “Early intervention by our officers neutralised the situation and avoided what could have turned into a significant incident of disorder at an isolated location outside the town.

“Officers dealt with the situation in a firm and fair manner under difficult circumstances.”

The event, which attracts in excess of 30,000 people, is more than 100 years old.

Each year, travellers from across the region create a colourful sight as they make their way to and from the Eden Valley. But this also causes controversy among the communities they pass through, with complaints of illegal encampments and flytipping prominent.

Alfred Welch, originally from Darlington, is a regular.

He said: “It’s a good fair.

It gets very very busy, because there aren’t many fairs like Appleby, to be quite honest. A lot of people will come just for a visit and a look around – just to see something they don’t see normally.”

The 53 arrests were made between 8am Saturday and 8am Sunday.

The RSPCA also gave animal health advice to 47 people, and firefighters dealt with a caravan blaze, though no one was injured.

Cumbria Police made eight seizures of suspected cannabis and cocaine, and 36 fixed penalty notices were handed out for traffic and low-level public order offences.