The great Appleby clear-up commences: Huge operation gets underway to remove fields full of rubbish after 10,000 travellers descend on town for annual horse fair

A huge operation to clear piles of rubbish was underway today as thousands of travelers headed home from their annual meeting at the Appleby Horse Fair.

This morning a lone worker in a distinctive jacket was photographed picking through litter scattered across a field believed to have been used for the fair’s market.

The waste on display consisted of discarded cardboard boxes, plastic bags and paper in the field normally used for livestock.

Although the weeklong fair doesn’t officially end until Wednesday, many travelers camping in caravans left as early as Sunday morning.

The early exodus was partly due to cloudy weather and forecast rain, raising fears that caravans and other vehicles could become stuck in a mud bath.

Rubbish fields being cleared (pictured) after visitors leave from the Appleby Horse Show in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria

Crates, cardboard boxes and paper can be seen among the piles of rubbish needing to be cleared (photo)

Travelers washed and rode their horses in the River Eden during the Appleby Horse Fair (pictured)

A contractor working on the clean-up operation said: ‘Some of the fields still look in good condition at the moment but they will be cleared in no time.

‘It may look messy, but that’s what happens when you have a meeting of thousands of people. I can’t imagine this is different at every music festival.

‘Our goal is to get the fields back to normal as quickly as possible. In a few days you won’t be able to say that the fair was ever there.’

The historic horse fair in the Cumbrian market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland is one of the biggest dates of the year for the traveling community.

It is billed as the largest traditional gathering of travelers in Europe since it originally started as a place where travelers could buy and sell horses.

The fair has become more of a social event in recent years, although travelers still ride their horses and horse-drawn buggies along the main road in the town and wash their animals in the River Eden.

Contractors working for Westmorland and Furness Council have been working around the clock clearing the streets even before the fair officially started on Thursday.

Appleby town center looked spotless at 8am this morning thanks to the efforts of street sweeping crews.

Police patrol the Appleby Horse Fair market (pictured)

Caravans can be seen parked near the rubbish fields (pictured)

A man in a striking jacket can be seen cleaning up litter using a vehicle (photo)

Travelers started leaving Sunday, partly because of the weather and fears that vehicles would get stuck in a mud bath

Glamorous travelers gathered at the Appleby Horse Fair for a weekend of fun

A contractor who worked on the cleanup operation said: “It may look like a mess, but that’s what happens when you have a gathering of thousands of people. I can’t imagine this is different at every music festival.’

Man takes a horse for a dip in the River Eden (pictured)

What appears to be a broken garden shed was cleared away from the rubbish (photo)

Unlike the fields themselves, Appleby town center looked spotless at 8am this morning thanks to the efforts of street sweeping crews

The horse show’s so-called Multi Agency Strategic Co-ordinating Group, which runs the event, praised the “hard-working cleaning crews” for their “efforts to keep the city clean.”

In a sad incident on Sunday afternoon, MailOnline witnessed an RSPCA officer leading a possibly abandoned or lost terrier dog away from the main camping area called Fair Hill on the outskirts of Appleby.

The dog was taken to be examined by veterinary staff in a garden shed next to the site after no trace of its owners was found, leading to fears the dog may have been dumped.

The RSPCA, which has been busy checking the welfare of horses at the fair, has not yet responded to requests for comment about the dog.

A pile of discarded hay, water buckets and smelly horse manure was also left in the car park of the Appleby Manor Hotel and Spa, which was used by some fair visitors, this morning.

A shopkeeper in Appleby told MailOnline: ‘The street sweepers will be able to tell you all kinds of horror stories about the things they find.

‘The waste is certainly a problem, but the street sweepers do a fantastic job. We remained open during the fair, but our income has decreased because so many local residents are leaving. But it is what is.’

An RSPCA officer carried a lost terrier dog away from the main Fair Hill campsite on the outskirts of Appleby to be examined by veterinary staff after no trace of its owners was found.

A pile of discarded hay, water buckets and stinking horse manure was left in the car park of the Appleby Manor Hotel and Spa this morning (pictured)

The Appleby Manor Hotel and Spa is used by some fair visitors

The annual horse fair, which dates back to 1775, is one of the biggest dates of the year for the traveling community and is billed as the largest gathering of travelers in Europe

The fair has become more of a social event in recent years, although travelers still ride their horses and horse-drawn buggies up and down the main road in Appleby-in-Westmorland.

Police have made arrests at this year’s Appleby Horse Fair after the RSPCA was prevented from checking the health of horses.

Last week it was revealed that a three-year-old stallion was ‘worked to death’ in an ‘unforgivable act of cruelty’ after he was found ‘covered in rubbing wounds’ and with a very high temperature.

It subsequently emerged that Cumbria Police had made two arrests for public order offenses in the area surrounding the Midland Hotel.

Police said they were called to assist the RSPCA, who were experiencing ‘difficulty’ gaining access to horses due to ‘obstructive owners’.

The RSPCA has released CCTV footage as the hunt continues to identify a man in connection with the horse’s death.

Gypsy and Traveler community leaders Billy Welch and Bill Lloyd said they were “sickened and saddened” by the young horse’s death and “condemned it in the strongest possible terms.”