ORGANISERS of the 57th Ellingham Show have apologised to the thousands of motorists caught in the massive tailbacks around the event on Saturday.

For the first time this year the entrance and exit to the show held in the grounds of Somerley Park were routed onto to the B3081, causing jams several miles long in both directions.

Inside the park however, the show unfolded in great style with some 18,000 people visiting throughout the day, equalling the bumper turnout last summer.

And when the promised rainfall did happen, the crowds simply took shelter in the tents and the arena programme was changed to compensate.

Smaller than the New Forest Show, the Ellingham event is described by organisers as a traditional country show for families. In addition to traditional appeal of livestock classes, show jumping and vintage farm machinery, the showground was bursting with fun attractions.

These included the scarecrow fancy-dress competition. This year's winners included Cinderella Scarecrow and Scarecrow Surgeon.

Mother and son Llamas, Marble and Tokay - only three months old - were part of an animal training demonstration in the main arena given by Sally Sanford.

Ferret racing, a Zen garden, vintage vehicles and bikes, shooting galleries and the Ringwood Pipe Band were all part of the show experience.

But the showground was ringed outside by miles of angry motorists caught in the traffic snarl-up.

After the show, press officer Michael Lingam-Willgoss, apologised for the jams, saying the decision to use only the B3081 had been Dorset Police's.

"But I'm not pointing fingers at anybody," he said. "The traffic problems were also partly volume. Plus we take in the fall-out from the old Fordingbridge Show.

"We're victims of our own success.

"It probably wasn't the right decision to run the show out of one entrance and exit. We next we will not be doing that. We'll have at least two or three entrances, and up to five exits in the afternoon."

First published: August 15