Speaking ahead of Bonfire Night tomorrow, representatives from Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire and Rescue and Lewes District Council said they have spent a year planning for the event which is set to attract as many as 30,000 people.
Around a decade ago, the event attracted a record number of visitors, with almost 60,000 people turning out to celebrate. Since then, the council has worked hard to reduce numbers for safety reasons.
Bryn Mabey, communications lead for Lewes District Council, said: “Lewes is a snug market town which simply can’t accommodate those numbers safely.
“Last year we had 30,000. That was a Saturday and this year, it’s on a Tuesday but given the popularity, we wouldn’t expect significantly fewer.”
Usually trains stop running at 3pm but this year, due to the event running on a weekday, this has been extended to 5pm to accommodate commuters.
The clean-up crew who work from 1am till 6am to get the town “spotless” collected ten tonnes of rubbish last year. The council is encouraging visitors to take their own reusable cups, which can be filled up at pubs, to cut down on waste.
Chief Superintendent Howard Hodges said large numbers of visitors increase risks such as “crowd crushing” and people entering the River Ouse is another concern.
He said: “Firstly we would say, take heed of our warning not to attend if you do not live locally and secondly, if you do attend, behave responsibly and don’t do anything that puts yourself or anyone else in danger.”
In terms of the risk of a potential terrorist attack, Ch Supt Hodges said: “Of course we recognise the fact this is a crowded event, and it would be remiss of us not to prepare. There are a range of measures we put in place to mitigate this.”
According to Station Manager Alex Probyn, the fire service has “added resilience” to its plans. Usually, it has one fire engine available 24/7, whereas this year there will be three fire engines on immediate response and increased officer cover.
He said: “There will be small incidents which may injure someone but with all the planning and liaising, those risks are mitigated to a very low level.
“We encourage people to go bonfire events rather than having them at home – they’re far safer.”
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