Police warned over Dave Myers' ride and fair clash

A police force has been questioned by a local MP over its staffing plans for a memorial ride in honour of Hairy Biker Dave Myers and the Appleby Horse Fair.

Thousands are set to travel from London to the late-TV star's home town of Barrow, Cumbria, on 8 June for Dave Day.

Meanwhile, one of the largest gatherings in Europe for Gypsies and travellers will go ahead in the county on the same day.

Barrow and Furness' Simon Fell warned the fair would already draw "significant police resources", adding the A590 and A66 would be "under major strain", but Cumbria Constabulary said the county was ready to stage both events.

The TV presenter and chef, one half of the Hairy Bikers along with Si King, died from cancer aged 66 in February.

Mr Fell, Conservative, said Myers was a "much-loved Barrovian and an advocate for both Barrow and the wider area".

In a letter to Cumbria's Chief Constable Rob Carden, Mr Fell said it was estimated that up to 16,000 bikers and visitors would arrive in Barrow which would be "no doubt a boon to local businesses".

However, he added the county needed "additional emergency services support to ensure that these events run as smoothly as possible, and to prevent gridlock on our roads".

"I have spoken with the council on this issue, and also members of the public who work in the emergency services, both of whom are very concerned about thinly drawn resources," Mr Fell wrote.

"I am very keen to understand what mitigations have been put in place to ensure that these two events can occur safely."

Det Supt Dan St Quintin, who is gold commander for policing at Appleby, said they estimated just 6,000 bikers, instead of the 16,000 quoted by Mr Fell.

He said: "The planning for Appleby is continuous, we’ve got sufficient resources for that and have had the sufficient resources planned in for quite some time, there’s not going to be any change to that.

"In relation to Dave Day, which is happening tens of miles away from Appleby, the situation there is that we’ve got a very well organised, positive event."

He said although "significant disruption" was expected on the A590 and Junction 36 of the M6, the criteria for requesting extra resources from other forces had not been met.

He added: "We’ve got extra [internal] police resources in place for that and separate plans in place from the Appleby Horse Fair, that are well in place to meet the needs and manage the disruption around the roads in the south of Cumbria."

Westmorland and Furness Council said "with so many people visiting the area, it is inevitable that there will be increased traffic levels and the potential for some disruption on local road networks".

It said temporary traffic restrictions would be in place in and around both towns "to support the safety of residents".

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