Summary

  1. Goodnightpublished at 22:30 GMT 5 November

    We're wrapping up our live coverage of the Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels.

    Remember you can watch back our coverage of the event, which was expected to run until midnight, on the BBC iPlayer.

    Thanks for joining us.

    A drone shot of Ottery St Mary at night. There is a burning tar barrel at the centre of a crowd of people.
  2. Watch again: Flaming tar barrels carried through townpublished at 22:27 GMT 5 November

    If you missed it or want to watch our Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels coverage you can on BBC iPlayer.

  3. How do they know when flaming barrel is ready to roll?published at 22:17 GMT 5 November

    Mike Down

    Mike Down says the tar barrel is laid down and gently rolled to get it "nice and hot".

    He says they want to get the tar burning but not too much because they need to keep the tar within the barrel.

    "It needs to stay in there to keep it burning all the way through its life," he says.

    "Once we deem it’s hot enough by touching the outside of the barrel and feeling if it's warm, we then tell whoever has the privilege of picking it up to pick it up.

    "They then can pick it up and that’s the commencement of the barrel."

  4. What the tar barrels look like before being set alightpublished at 22:12 GMT 5 November

    Inside a tar barrel which is lined with tar and has straw and paper inside of it.

    The barrels are gathered from cider and winemakers across the country and the inside is coated with tar to help control the burn time.

    They contain a mixture of paper and straw which is then set alight.

    Andrew Wade, president of the Tar Barrels Committee, says: "Someone who is doing the heating of the barrel will decide when it's ready and off they go, they pick it up, run around and pass it to each other."

    A large barrel stood up-right. There is a smaller one on its left and a larger one on the right. They are wooden and brown.
    Inside a tar barrel which is lined with tar and has straw and paper inside of it.
  5. In pictures: Man carries flaming tar barrel on his backpublished at 22:08 GMT 5 November

    A person running with a flaming tar barrel on his back.
    A person running with a flaming tar barrel on his back.
    A person running with a flaming tar barrel on his back.
  6. 'Everyone wants a bit of the action'published at 22:05 GMT 5 November

    Erin Black
    in Ottery St Mary

    An inferno in the crowd.

    We've just had one of the men's barrels lit in front of us.

    There are thousands of people surrounding the barrel when it's lit.

    They are rolling it back and forth on the ground and then helping each other hoist it on to their shoulders which is accompanied by a big whoop when it's successfully up.

    Everyone is really good spirits and excited to be here - they all want a bit of the action and are following the barrels.

  7. 'The town is in absolute lockdown'published at 22:00 GMT 5 November

    Victoria Graham
    BBC Spotlight

    The Tar Barrel Rolling here in Ottery St Mary is still in full flow tonight.

    The flames are leaping into the sky and smoke is filling the air with thousands of people still in the town square here.

    Ottery St Mary is in absolute lockdown.

    It started at 16:00 GMT with children and small barrels on their shoulders and then at 00:00 the really big barrels are finally lit.

    The flames are getting bigger and bigger.

    It's exciting and a bit nerve-racking.

  8. Watch again: Tar barrels carried through streetspublished at 21:53 GMT 5 November

    You can watch back our coverage of the Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels as residents ran through the streets with flaming barrels of tar on their backs.

  9. 'Feel the heat from the barrels'published at 21:44 GMT 5 November

    Erin Black
    in Ottery St Mary

    A flaming inferno is seen going through the crowd.

    You can feel the heat from the barrels from about 10 to 15 metres away - they are so big and so hot.

    The flames are licking out the sides as they are carried.

    And you can tell how important the event is to people in the community.

    Its reputation precedes itself and people return as it's so much fun.

  10. Watch: Moment youngest and oldest entrants meetpublished at 21:35 GMT 5 November

    The youngest and oldest participant in this year's Ottery Tar Barrels have been speaking.

    Jessica, 7, told Les White, 69, she was "excited and a little bit nervous".

  11. Participants must have rolled as a child to enterpublished at 21:30 GMT 5 November

    Hattie smiling at the camera.

    Hattie says she started tar barrel rolling "late" when she was 12 years old.

    "You have to do it as a kid to be able to qualify to be able to do it as an adult," she says.

    She says her brothers, aunties, cousins and both her grandfathers have taken part in the event, making it a true family tradition.

    She has burnt herself many times over the years and, in preparation for tonight, was wearing a welders apron on her shoulders as well as a beanie and hood.

    Petroleum jelly helps prevents the ash and tar from the barrels sticking to her face, she says.

  12. 'They are picking up flaming barrels and charging with it'published at 21:23 GMT 5 November

    Cameron Weldon
    in Ottery St Mary

    They are lighting a barrel right in front of me outside the London Inn, a vantage point in the town.

    Someone is going to be pretty brave and pick this up and put it on their back and charge with it.

    Hundreds of people are surrounding it and have their phones out ready to catch the action.

    Soon they will run and it will cause quite the commotion.

    Crowds gather outside a white building.
  13. Volunteers the 'eyes and ears' of tar barrelspublished at 21:15 GMT 5 November

    Chief steward Paul Gibbons says the volunteers are the "eyes and ears" of the event.

    "We enjoy it, and if we all don't do our integral part of the team, this event won't happen," he says.

    "We never say we've pulled it off until the fat lady sings, as they say."

    Paul Gibbons.
  14. 'Flaming marvellous night'published at 21:07 GMT 5 November

    Victoria Graham
    BBC Spotlight

    The live stream of the event has now ended but stick with us as we continue to bring you text updates.

    It's been a flaming marvellous night.

    Victoria Graham stood next a flaming barrel.
  15. In pictures: It's heating up in Ottery St Marypublished at 21:00 GMT 5 November

    A flaming tar barrel
    A flaming tar barrel
    A man with a tar barrel on his back.
  16. Pictures show sheer crowds drawn to the eventpublished at 20:50 GMT 5 November

    A flaming barrel amongst a large crowd of people
    Drone footage of a lit barrel glowing amongst a crowd of people in the streets below. It is dark and the roofs of buildings can be seen.
    A crowd of people in a dark street with the glow from buildings behind.
  17. 'This is just a normal town' - except for tonightpublished at 20:43 GMT 5 November

    Maddie Small.

    Maddie Small, who is rolling five barrels this evening and is covered in soot, says the "adrenaline just takes over".

    This is her 11th year participating in the event and she says participating is a family tradition.

    "It’s a normal town, a normal school, everyone has normal jobs, but tonight is the night we all come together," she says.

    Talking about her outfit, she says: “I’ve got lots of layers on and we all wear a top on top to prove who we are.

    “The gloves are hessian sacks, and they’re wrapped multiple times and tied with wire to protect our hands.

    "They’re not fireproof so they are soaked in water overnight."

  18. 'It's absolutely wonderful to be home'published at 20:36 GMT 5 November

    Alex Rummery in a black jacket speaking to Victoria Graham, in a mustard jacket.

    Alex Rummery, who returned to Ottery St Mary from Australia for the event, has been speaking to the BBC's Victoria Graham.

    He says the event is "absolutely normal" for people in the Devon town.

    "People don't really believe it [in Australia]."

    He says: "It's 100% what makes Ottery and it needs to continue.

    "It's absolutely wonderful to be home."

  19. How to watch the tar barrelspublished at 20:35 GMT 5 November

    The BBC's Victoria Graham and Erin Black are speaking to people in Ottery St Mary.

    Follow live on BBC iPlayer or click the link above.

    Victoria Graham and Erin Black.
  20. In pictures: Town goes wild on Bonfire Nightpublished at 20:25 GMT 5 November

    A crowd gathers around a flaming tar barrel.
    A flaming tar barrel lights up a plant.