Churned-up Hull Fair site to be repaired, council pledges

Mud and tyre tracks were left behind in West Park after the end of this year's Hull Fair

Grass which was left badly churned-up by Hull Fair ride operators leaving the site will be repaired and reinstated, the city council has pledged.

Mud and tyre tracks were left by caravans and other vehicles in West Park after the fair ended on Saturday.

Hull City Council said the park, off Anlaby Road, would be returned to a state that residents could enjoy.

The work would begin as soon as all vehicles and items were removed from the park, the authority said.

However, the council said the repairs, which it would fully fund, were weather-dependent.

Each day of Hull Fair, 20 cleaners were deployed to tidy up the site and make it ready for more visitors

Returning the park's grass to its former state was just part of the clean-up of the Hull Fair site which took place every year after the event, Hull City Council said.

Sara Rose, the authority's environmental manager, said cleaners typically removed about 68 tonnes of rubbish during the week of the event.

This year, a team of 15 council workers started collecting rubbish at Walton Street, where the food stalls were located, from 05:30 every day, before heading around the rest of the Hull Fair site, she said.

Attendance for this year's event was estimated at around 600,000 people, which was 200,000 more than in 2022, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

There were 10 arrests and 23 dispersal orders issued during the fair, though those arrested were already wanted for previous offences, Humberside Police confirmed.

The force said there were a smaller number of minor incidents than the 40 last year, and dispersal orders were mainly issued to stop late-night antisocial behaviour.