A ROMANY is appealing to fellow gipsies to support a charter fair or see an old tradition die.

Only three ponies were ridden at a trot up and down Yarm High Street this year, keeping alive a hallowed tradition allowing travellers to show off their ponies, known as "flashing".

But gipsy Lawrence Wood said a Cleveland Police ban on the display last year kept horse dealers away from Yarm's charter fair at the weekend.

Police imposed the controversial ban, claiming a large number of fully-grown horses had been ridden at speed along the High Street.

They claimed that the animals and predominantly young riders had been out of control.

Travellers were told by the police that "due to health and safety regulations and public protection liability" it would not be possible for horses to enter the High Street during the fair.

However a number of meetings about the issue were held this year and the police eventually agreed to lift the ban.

But Mr Wood said that by the time the decision was made it was too late to inform the gipsy horse dealers visiting the region.

"We want to bring horses back here, to get this fair back on track.

"There were 40 wagons here last year.

"They are not here this year because it was stopped. There should be a lot more next year but there won't be a fair if they don't come back with their horses."

Yarm butcher David Rigg, who has childhood memories of the gipsy fair, said: "I am delighted to see it back again. It's part of the tradition."

A police spotter plane filmed the flashing from the air.

Police Inspector Dave Hill said: "If they (travellers) see this as a success, next year we will perhaps see more horses. The fair does not pose a problem, but we have to look at health and safety."