THE Shrove Tuesday pancake race at Bedale has been cancelled for the second successive year after organisers found it would cost hundreds of pounds to make traffic management arrangements.

The event, staged between the market cross and St Gregory's Church for the past 35 years, fell flat last year because of an oversight in complying with new rules concerning temporary road closures.

This year's race has been scrapped because organisers cannot afford the cost of a traffic management company.

Following a change of policy, police in North Yorkshire undertake traffic management only for statutory events, such as remembrance parades.

Organisers of other events must make arrangements following consultations with the county council, and their district council would require a temporary road closure.

The county council recommended that the pancake race be held off-road for safety reasons.

It said that if organisers still wanted to hold the race on the road, that part of the market place between Bridge Street and Emgate would be more appropriate because traffic could be diverted instead of closing the road.

Organiser Peter Parlour said he followed the council's advice to contact a traffic management company and was shocked by the potential cost.

He said: "One firm said we would be looking at between £400 and £500 a day and the other quoted £550. They would have to put warning signs out a week earlier and come back on the day to take them away.

"We simply cannot afford that sort of money for something that lasts only 15 minutes. It is a very big disappointment. Health and safety has knocked the race on the head. If we held the race off the road, it would lose its impetus and spectacle."

A county council spokesman said: "While the county council wishes to encourage community events of this kind, as a highway authority it also has a duty to maintain the safety of the travelling public.

"Organisers were therefore advised that as the police can no longer manage this, they must first obtain a closure order, and then employ the services of an authorised traffic management company to ensure that all road closures and diversions meet traffic signs regulations.

"In order to reduce associated costs and lessen the impact on traffic, the county council has further advised that the organisers investigate an alternative venue with Hambleton District Council."