Barnsley road rally event cancelled before road closures approved

About 120 competitors had been expected to take part in the race

A rally event which would have seen 50 roads closed around Barnsley has been cancelled by the organisers.

Sheffield and Hallamshire Motor Club requested the closures for a road rally on Sunday 10 December.

However, local residents said they were "horrified" by the plans, with some fearing for the safety of their horses.

Barnsley Council had been set to approve the road closures on Wednesday but leader Sir Steve Houghton told the council cabinet the event was now off.

"The organisers have informed us they have now cancelled the event, so that item now is therefore being withdrawn," he told the meeting.

Original plans were for about 120 competitors to drive on minor roads around Penistone, Cawthorne, Wortley and Stocksbridge.

Four stages of the rally would have used minor roads, predominantly in less populated areas, the motor club said.

The loop of stages would have been run once in the morning and again in the afternoon.

Resident Rose Guest told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that people living near the proposed road closures were "horrified" and said horses in particular would be "traumatised by the noise of more that 100 cars flying past very close to them at high speed".

She added that some businesses had been forced to close.

Sheffield and Hallamshire Motor Club, founded in 1904 and one of the oldest clubs in the country, said it had consulted with Penistone & Stocksbridge MP Miriam Cates and Penistone Town Council and they had "welcomed the proposal" for a closed road stages rally.

It said the event would have created "substantial revenue for local hospitality" and would have been a major spectator attraction for locals and motorsport enthusiasts from further away.