SOUTH SOMERSET NEWS: Night of unexpected drama for Ilminster Carnival organisers

ORGANISERS have thanked people for their patience last night (Saturday, October 4, 2014) during an eventful Ilminster Carnival.

Thankfully the weather stayed dry which encouraged thousands to come out to watch the procession – but from the organisers’ point of view it could be said that if it “doesn’t rain, it pours” in reference to a string of problems.

The Carnival was due to start at 7.15pm, but it was not until around an hour later that the procession eventually got underway.

Two local vehicles were found to be parked causing an obstruction along the route of the carnival despite advanced warnings of the Carnival and no parking cones having been put along the road earlier in the day.

Carnival organisers and police were unable to take action to remove the offending vehicles until the official road closure was in effect from 7pm and were forced to delay the start while police had to arrange for recovery of the vehicles.

PHOTO - TOP: A member of Gemini CC and their Transformers The Cube entry.

PHOTO - RIGHT: Members of Harlequin CC and their Tortuga float.

Marching band Meridian Corp of Drums started ahead of the main procession to entertain the large crowds while the vehicles were being dealt with.

There were also problems, with parts of the town centre in darkness due to failure of the street lighting which had been previously reported. Extra Carnival marshals were positioned in that area to ensure public safety.

It was an eventful evening with a suspected gas leak in one part of the town which required attendance by the utility company.

But through the planning and control of the organisers and emergency services in attendance, this was effectively dealt with, causing no disruption to the carnival procession.

At the end of the Carnival, police praised the organisers for effectively dealing with the various situations they were faced with on the evening.

A Carnival spokesman said: “The Ilminster Carnival Committee would like to thank everyone for their patience and hope they all enjoyed the carnival and to thank all the marshals and emergency services for their hard work on Saturday evening enabling the procession to take place.”

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