A UNIQUE christening ceremony brought Yarm High Street shuddering to a halt during the rush-hour.

Already clogged with vehicles for Yarm's annual fair, the area was gridlocked last Friday teatime as a tiny baby got an unusual start in life.

Crowds gathered as little Kizzy Mae Turnbull was christened by the door of a traveller's caravan.

Minister Rev Brian Rawson even brought a mobile font for the occasion. And he said: "This is certainly a first for me. I have never conducted a christening in the middle of the street before."

Kizzy Mae's dad, Mark Turnbull, arranged the ceremony in a bid to cheer up fellow travellers after a dismal year.

"All this year we have had foot and mouth and other problems," he said. "Appleby fair and all the shows were cancelled and Yarm was one fair which has gone ahead.

"I thought it would be great to have a get together in the High Street. The idea just snowballed from there"

Family friends and other travellers attending the ancient fair all turned up to join Mr Turnbull and his wife Kirsten in the celebrations.

"What a start in life," said Mr Turnbull, who has been coming to Yarm fair for 10 years.

As she prepared for the al fresco event, Mrs Turnbull said: "It is worse than getting married!"

She and her husband live in Durham and 10-week-old Kizzy Mae is their fourth child.

The christening dress was made by travelling friend Carole Lister, who was working up to midnight in her caravan in the High Street to ensure the outfit was ready.

The actual ceremony was conducted in front of the caravan belonging to 78-year-old fortune teller Tilly Wood, who has been a Yarm fair regular all her life.

She was the first to hold the baby after the ceremony was over.

Mr Rawson is a Church of Scotland minister in Sunderland and knows Mr Turnbull through the local Rotary Club.

He obtained the font from a church in Nottinghamshire which was closing.

"I use it quite often," he said, "but never like this before."

The heart-warming occasion came amid renewed rows over the traditional fair - which ended on Saturday night.

Traders have become increasingly angry about what they see as a major blow to business.

Many firms close for the week rather than put up with loss of trade as the High Street is closed to accommodate fair vehicles.

Members of Yarm Chamber of Trade are now considering whether to mount a legal challenge to the daytime agricultural fair and the evening funfair which operate under a charter granted in the reign of Charles II.

But Mr Turnbull said the atmosphere had been good.

"It has been wonderful this year, no trouble at all," he said.

"We are all together and the best of friends. Yarm is a good fair and there have been good crowds turning up."