TRAGEDY overshadowed the climax of Appleby Horse Fair when a father and his six-year-old son died in a fatal road traffic accident with their horse-drawn caravan, reports Ellis Butcher.

Stewart Nicholson, 43, and son Connor, were returning home from the fair to Wheatley Hill, Peterlee, County Durham, at 6pm on Tuesday when they were involved in the accident.

The collision involved an empty articulated tanker travelling in the same direction on the eastbound side of the dual carriageway of the A66 near Coupland Beck, Appleby.

The 50-year-old lorry driver from Stockton-on-Tees was uninjured. Police said he was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving but has not been charged. He was released on police bail while the cause of the accident is being investigated.

A veterinary surgeon went to the scene but the injuries suffered by the horse proved fatal.

The busy trunk road was closed in both directions for five hours.

The North Cumbria coroner was informed and the family of the deceased travelled to the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, on Wednesday, for formal identification.

Keith Morgan, chairman of the Appleby New Fair Joint Committee, said: “Obviously it is a very sad end to the fair for everybody. An awful lot of people were leaving that day, particularly a lot of horse-drawn carriages. A lot of effort has gone into notifying people that there are slow moving vehicles and there were a lot of warnings on the A66 particularly.

“One of the rather sad things is we have tried to improve safety at the fair this year. Now this happens.” He said the gypsy community was close-knit and the news would have affected a large number of people. The week-long annual fair finished yesterday (Thursday) and attracted around 35,000 travellers and tourists.

Anyone with information should contact Cumbria Police on 01768-891999.