A BARNARD Castle horse owner is calling for the town’s annual bonfire night celebration to be moved from the Demesnes after he was forced to calm down his animals during last year’s event.
The celebration returned to the Demesnes in November after being held at Green Lane Primary School and then Streatlam because of previous complaints by horse owners.
At that time Durham County Council urged the town council to move the event away from the Demenses “based on the likely presence of livestock in adjoining fields and the damage caused to the land” . Last year the county’s Safety Advisory Group gave permission for the display to return to the Demesnes because quieter fireworks were to be used.
However, a mix up by the company contracted to put on the display led to regular fireworks being used.
Neighbour Chris Teward said his three horses in a field about 30 metres away from the event were left traumatised.
He added: “They weren’t happy. In the end I had to have all three together as a group. I was talking to them all the time while the cat was in the house listening to classical music.
“I am not a party-pooper about the fireworks but it seems to me things [wrong fireworks being used] happen at my expense as it were.”
Mr Teward was one of those whose complaints led to the event being moved in 2013. At that time he operated a livery from his property.
Mr Teward said: “It was like a scene from Warhorse. They were all galloping around. I didn’t expect them to react they way they did. I did not expect them to be as terrified as they were.
“It was definitely banned from the beauty spot, so how has it got unbanned? That is the 64 million dollar question.”
However, chairman of the town’s christmas lights committee which organises the event Roger Peat said Mr Teward had been consulted prior to last year’s event.
He said: “We spoke to Chris Teward and explained it would be a low noise fireworks. I had offered to stable his ponies for him prior to the event and when I apologised to him after the event he said he would take me up on the offer next year.”
Mr Peat added that no other complaints had been received despite another horse-owner living nearby.
The chairman said: “The police were very happy with the way we marshalled it and they said it was a very well organised event.”
More than 1,500 people attended the bonfire night celebration which was marshalled by 24 volunteers.
Stuart Timmiss, head of planning and assets at Durham County Council, said: “Last year, Barnard Castle Christmas Lights Committee applied to us for a licence to stage the town’s annual fireworks display in Demesnes. Our Safety Advisory Group met to discuss the application in September and granted a licence for the event. This decision was partly based on the steps the applicant intended to take to mitigate the impact on nearby livestock, including the use of low noise fireworks.
“We also carefully considered the consultation carried out by the applicant with nearby residents, including this landowner who, at the time of the Safety Advisory Group’s decision to grant the licence, was happy with the new arrangements for the event at this location.”
