EDITOR'S CHOICE HAVE YOUR SAY Food for thought VIEW FROM THE HILL That’s why it’s white knuckle A SMASHING TIME Crab House Cafe, Portland Road, Wyke Regis SIMPLY GREATEST HITS Red letter day at the BIC GET OUR NEWS BY E-MAIL Just register

Most read Comments 1 GANG IS QUIDS IN 2 Overturned lorry causes long delays on A31 3 HE'S ATT IT AGAIN 4 Fury over £101,000 new post at council 5 Parking fine shock 6 A fitting tribute to Jim and Charlie 7 They’re up for the cup 8 Three years jail for face biting attack 9 MPs call for plan to be scrapped 10 Police seek maniac on motorised scooter Today | 7 Days 1 OUT OF BOUNDS TO THE HOUNDS 2 Howzat for a supermarket? 3 Quinn to use Pitman 'impact' 4 Note of despair for pregnant Kayleigh 5 Stone me! 6 HE'S ATT IT AGAIN 7 Quinn to look again at Onibuje 8 Teen fought off robbers in gardens 9 Local shops looking forward to Waitrose 10 With creditors still owed money, Carr races powerboats in Portugal...

Comment | Read Comments (2)

END OF AN ERA?: Lymington Carnival will not run this year

THE hugely popular Lymington and Pennington carnival has been cancelled following a row over red tape.

Lymington Lions claims new rules relating to road closures have made it impossible to stage the event.

Plans to hold a £10,000 medieval fair have been scrapped for similar reasons.

The town council had hoped to commemorate the 750th anniversary of Lymington's first fair by staging a knights' tournament and other attractions.

But councillors were told heavy traffic would make it necessary to introduce a temporary one-way system marshalled by dozens of volunteers.

Lymington Lions say the carnival has been cancelled because regulations introduced by the district council had prevented them from obtaining their normal insurance.

Carnival spokesman Martin Ward said: "The indemnity is a catch-all document that's too widely drafted - our insurers can't assess the risk they're supposed to be insuring.

"We're very disappointed because the carnival is a major plank of our fundraising and last year's event was very well supported."

Mr Ward warned that Brockenhurst carnival, another event organised by Lymington Lions, could also be cancelled.

Lymington mayor Pauline Elsworth said: "The carnival is part of the calendar and we're very disappointed it's not going ahead but the paperwork and bureaucracy have got too much."

However, the decision to scrap the event has mystified other carnival organisations.

Ray Sales, chairman of Milford-on-Sea carnival, said: "The district council has made the road closure form a bit more bureaucratic but I can't see anything to prevent us going ahead."

Ringwood carnival is due to take place on September 20 and floats will be taking to the streets of Netley Marsh on June 21. The Sway and Copythorne processions are also said to be safe.

Mr Ward replied: "Our insurers found the road closure indemnity to be unacceptable. If other organisations feel they're covered, we wish them well."

Asked about the prospects for next year's carnival he said: "We will try to overcome these difficulties but we expect sensitivity and flexibility from the district council."

But Chris Treleaven, the council's cabinet member for planning and transport, said: "The organisers' responsibility for ensuring that their event proceeds safely is more overt than it used to be but that's the only change.

"The rules are no more onerous than they used to be."

He added: "We very much regret any event having to be cancelled. We are continuing to pursue every avenue we can to assist organisations in getting insurance."

7:00pm Monday 12th May 2008

Print

Email this

Comment