Green light for May Fair road closure

THE traditional horse trading event held during Ballyclare May Fair will be allowed to go ahead on Main Street as normal this year, it has been confirmed.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Mar 2010, 14:10 BST
Updated 31st Mar 2010, 10:52 BST

Back in February, the future of the showpiece occasion had looked in doubt after the police informed Newtownabbey Council that they didn't have the power to close the road to facilitate the event.

Organisers feared that the horse traders may have to be moved out of the centre of the town to the nearby Sixmile River Park, ending more than 200 years of May Fair tradition.

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Just last week, local political and community representatives called on the PSNI to clarify its procedures for allowing road closures after streets in Belfast were shut to traffic for a motor racing event.

Despite the police claiming that their policy for road closures was "still being reviewed", it seems that just hours before Tuesday night's meeting of the May Fair Organising Committee, Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay ruled that Main Street can be closed on May 25 to facilitate the horse trading fair.

Read the full story in this week's Times...

Related topics:PSNIOrganisersNewtownabbey CouncilBelfast