HUNDREDS of thousands of visitors will descend on Tarrant Hinton today for the Great Dorset Steam Fair. A temporary town with its own infrastructure has been established to accommodate them.

A free bus service from Blandford, 500 portable loos, stalls and a full postal service are all in place.

The site also has its own phone lines and post code.

And so many visitors come from overseas that Thomas Cook sets up a bureau de change each year.

About 25,000 people live on site during the fair and if the good weather holds out around a quarter of a million people are expected to attend.

But organisers say this is as big as it gets - the 600-acre site has already reached capacity.

Organiser Martin Oliver said: "Our camp sites are full, we're turning scores away and we just can't take any more. It's a nice position to be in but it's not nice to disappoint people."

The steam fair, which runs from today until Sunday, is aimed at giving the public an insight into what life in rural England was like at the turn of the previous century, when steam power was in its heyday.

It features the largest collection of steam and vintage equipment to be seen anywhere in the world.

Three coal lorries and seven water bowsers work flat out to keep them going.

The fair is thought to generate more than £1 million for the economy of North Dorset.

Each year concerns arise as to where the travelling community will base themselves and this year is no exception.

A special site has been established to house those moved on from illegal encampments - it's just off the A350 at Nutford and by Tuesday 40 caravans had set up camp there.

Insp Tim Lumley, of Dorset Police said: "We've had very few complaints and no problems and touch wood that's how it will continue - they are well behaved."

First published: August 31