Travellers and gypsies arrive on horses ahead of Appleby fair as locals vow to close pubs and board up shops in bid to avoid repeat of last year’s chaos

Travelers and gypsies have arrived ahead of this weekend’s Appleby Horse Fair – with locals bracing themselves after last year’s event was overshadowed by chaos.

The event, which starts tomorrow and ends on June 12, is an annual gathering of gypsies and travelers in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria.

During the fair, the town’s main street is used to display horses for sale, with the animals tied to balustrades outside pubs and shops – while visitors park their caravans on either side of the A685.

Last year’s event sparked anger among locals, who reported shoplifting, threats and even urine sprayed through car windows by members of the traveling community.

Photos from today show gypsies and travelers arriving by horse and cart to set up camp in time for the start of the festival tomorrow.

Every pub in nearby Kirkby Stephen is closing its doors this year in a bid to keep chaos to a minimum, while railings along the main street have been covered with planks to prevent horses being tied up outside Appleby’s popular shops.

Travelers and gypsies arrive in Appleby ahead of the Appleby Horse Fair which starts tomorrow

A man leads horses and a caravan as he arrives in Appleby for the event

Nowadays women travel by horse and cart when they arrive in Appleby

A photo from last year shows police officers walking past a man on a horse during the Appleby Horse Fair

The traveling community arrives by horse and cart for the Appleby Horse Fair

People set up camp on the side of the road with their caravans and horse boxes

A local business, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “It seems like things have already started badly this year, and even earlier than normal.”

Appleby Fair attracts around 10,000 gypsies and travellers, with over 30,000 other visitors also attending the event.

In early May, farmer Mark Scott was surrounded by travelers circling his JCB as he tried to block off a country lane with boulders to make it impossible for them to settle there.

Mark was subjected to insults and intimidation, with one traveler shouting: ‘Kirkby Stephen is on fire, boys’.

At the end of last month, travelers who had camped illegally in a field on their way to the fair were transported onwards while four stolen caravans were seized by police.

Trading Standards officials warned Appleby Horse Fair traders to ensure their goods are genuine and safe this year after finding some evidence of counterfeit goods last time.

The Appleby Horse Fair has been a mainstay of the Gypsy calendar since the early 20th century and its roots go back even further.

A man arrives with his horse for this year’s Appleby Horse Fair

Photos from today show gypsies and travelers arriving in a horse-drawn caravan to set up camp in time for the start of the festival tomorrow

A man travels by road with a horse-drawn caravan for the annual event that starts tomorrow

The event is an annual gathering of gypsies and travelers in the town of Appleby, Westmorland

A man and a woman travel by road to the annual fair in a horse-drawn caravan

A man and a child arrive in Appleby for the fair, as some local reports are concerned after last year’s chaos

Three people arrive in a horse-drawn caravan for this year’s Appleby Horse Fair

But according to local historian Andrew Connell, it does not have its origins in a 1685 charter issued by King James II, as some claim.

In his book, Appleby Gypsy Horse Fair: Mythology, Origins, Evolution and Evaluation, Mr Connell reveals how the story of the 1685 charter dates back to 1945, when two Appleby councilors who hated the fair tried to stop it to hold.

‘There is no evidence for this, the claim first surfaced in 1945,’ Mr Connell told MailOnline.

The fair actually began in 1775, but did not become primarily associated with the traveling community until over a century later.

‘It was a trading moment for driven cattle and sheep, and of course horses. There is not much evidence of Gypsy association,” Connell said.