Move to cut visitors to Lewes Bonfire celebrations (From The Argus)

Move to cut visitors to Lewes Bonfire celebrations

5:17pm Sunday 13th September 2009 in Search

The number of visitors to the Lewes Bonfire celebrations are to be cut in an attempt to make the event safe.

Extra trains that are traditionally laid on each year to cope with the influx of people will not operate this year.

Instead a routine service will operate meaning thousands of revellers will be forced to stay at home or go elsewhere.

There are also plans to close off Lewes town centre if things get hectic on the night with Lewes District Council stating that people will be diverted to “safe areas.”

A spokeswoman for Lewes District Council said: “The Lewes Bonfire Safety Group has agreed that there is a need to reduce crowd numbers in the centre of the town to improve public safety.

“We are committed to preserving the historic bonfire tradition in Lewes, while ensuring that the public are kept safe.

“The bonfire procession route through the centre of the town will be protected to reduce overcrowding and once the town centre is full, visitors will be diverted to safe areas where they can wait until the bonfires start.”