Organisers pull the plug on popular carnival

3:33pm Saturday 10th May 2008

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EVERY year hundreds of people have turned out to cheer the colourful procession of floats.

The hugely popular Lymington and Pennington carnival has been part of the fabric of New Forest life for generations.

It raises thousands of pounds for charity as well as giving a huge number of residents and holidaymakers a day to remember.

But this year Lymington will be denied its traditional dose of summer fun.

Lymington Lions have cancelled the procession amid claims that new rules relating to road closures have made it impossible to stage.

In a double blow to the town, plans to hold a £10,000 medieval fair have been scrapped for similar reasons.

The town council hoped to commemorate the 750th anniversary of Lymington's first fair in 1257 with a knights' tournament and other attractions.

But councillors were told that 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 NEW FOREST: Organisers of Lymington's historic parade pull the plug on Carnival axed as normal insurance package.

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 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: "We're 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 in the Forest. 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."

"Next year we'll try to overcome these difficulties but we expect sensitivity and flexibility from the district council."

Chris Treleaven, the council's Cabinet member for planning and transport, denied that the new regulations prevented individual clubs from seeking road closures. He added: "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."

Asked about the decision to scrap the Lymington carnival, he said: "We much regret any event having to be cancelled.

We are continuing to pursue every avenue we can to assist organisations in getting insurance."

Lymington is the latest New Forest community to lose its carnival. Totton's annual celebration has not been held since 2004, when a spectator was allegedly hit in the face by a water bomb and demanded damages in a move that sent insurance costs soaring.

Marchwood has also been without a street carnival for several years.