Steam fair cancelled after downpours drench field

The Chester-le-Street Steam and Vintage Fair was due to be held on 13 and 14 July

A steam fair set to be held in County Durham has been cancelled after downpours drenched its field.

Organisers of the Chester-le-Street Steam and Vintage Fair said the event planned for 13 and 14 July could not go ahead.

They said they were "devastated" to cancel but they could "not risk the field becoming impassable" with safety "paramount".

People who have paid for tickets, camping and trade stalls would be contacted to discuss refunds, they added, with the event possibly being rearranged to later in the summer.

The current organisers brought back the historic fair in 2019

The two-day fair was to be held on the Lambton Estate and was billed as having "hundreds of vehicles from times past" featuring the "unique smell" of steam-powered machines.

In a statement on the event's website, organisers Glen Wardle and Andrew Borthwick said rain all day on Tuesday had "affected the field badly".

They said: "The forecast for the rest of the week isn't looking great and we need to preserve the field for future years.

"We have not made this decision lightly and we will be exploring possibilities for holding the event later in the summer.

"We are devastated to have to make this decision, but we just can’t risk the field becoming impassable and getting vehicles in and out of the site safely is paramount."

The field is far too sodden for the fair to go ahead on

The first steam fair was held at the field in 1956 and Mr Wardle and Mr Borthwick, who own a steam roller, brought back the event in 2019.

Mr Borthwick said it was the first time the fair had been cancelled by the weather but negotiations were already under way to reschedule it.

He said relying on the British summer was a "gamble we take" but the pair enjoyed organising the event, adding: "We thought it would be nice to get a steam fair back in the North East because there aren't many around."