Hundreds of travellers flock to 800-year-old horse fair as street races close down town and rubbish piles up

FLOCKS of travellers have descended on a quiet town for an 800-year-old horse fair – causing roads, shops and pubs to shut.

Pictures show the crowds swarming through the usually sleepy streets of , which only has a population of 2,000.

Wickham Horse Fair in Hampshire where the travellers have gatheredAlready, piles of litter have started to formCrowds of people and horses alike swarmed the townHorses of all breeds and colours have been pictured outside of homesTravellers have taken over the quaint Hampshire town of Wickham for the fair

Horses of all breeds and colours have been pictured outside of homes and pubs ready for trading in Hampshire.

instead of cars, as all the roads were closed for the event.

families are believed to have started to gather for the Wickham Horse Fair since 1269.

Scenes at the yearly fair usually sees people flying down the street as they participate in street horse races.

Others parade ponies down the road in a bid to find a willing buyer.

Roads are packed with stalls and street vendors selling everything and anything.

It is customary for the event to take place on May 20 – except when it falls on a Sunday.

The Wickham Horse Fair traces its origins back to when Roger De Syres obtained a royal charter from King Henry III to have a weekly market in 1269.

Over the years this morphed into an annual fair.

Some locals love the famous tradition, but others aren’t so happy.

Already, piles of rubbish have started to form from the fair.

Over the last week, other villages have also played host to looking to attend.

Last year, locals blasted the historic fair as “shameful”;; due to the litter left behind.

The high street was left caked in manure, bins overflowed with rubbish and cans of booze littered the pavements.

Pub benches were covered in trash, unwanted food and emptybottles.

Discarded cardboard boxes could also be seen pilled up while plastic bags were scattered along the picturesque roads.

Some of the bins are already overflowing from rubbishPiles of litter from the fair have been pictured scattered aroundTravellers run down the street with one of the horsesLocals have had to close all the roads and shops whilst the horse fair is onThe town is closed down for the day along with all shops, pubs and hotels