AN agricultural show that has been staged in the same village for more than 120 years is to move to a new location nearly ten miles away.

Organisers of the Eggleston Show, in Teesdale, say they need to transfer the event to Streatlam Farm, near Barnard Castle, because the present site is too small to cope with the volume of participants and visitors.

This year's show, which was held in September, attracted record entries in horse classes.

Show secretary George Lawson said keeping the event at the same site risked putting it out of business.

"We need to progress rather than regress," he said.

"We are getting more and more horses and getting bigger all the time, and the present show ground is not big enough to accommodate us."

Eggleston ward councillor Peter Stubbs, who is also a member of the show committee, said that it was unfortunate there were no alternative sites in Eggleston. However, he accepted the show needed to move.

Coun Stubbs said: "The present site's served us really well, but we have outgrown it. If you do not progress, you risk going out of business, and these shows are an important feature in rural life.

"If we could have found a site in Eggleston we would have. But the new site is still in Teesdale and not too far away, so it should be easy to get to."

Next year's show will be the 129th, and it is anticipated it will retain the Eggleston Show title.

The show field has been at High Shipley Farm for the past 30 years.

Before then, it was at The Haughs, but was forced to move when the Tyne-Tees tunnel was built.