A HIT television programme has given a centuries-old horse fair a further boost as tens of thousands of travellers and horse lovers celebrate in a Cumbrian town.

Appleby Horse Fair, which has been held near the River Eden since 1685, regularly attracts about 10,000 Gypsies from across the country.

The small town normally has a population of just 2,500 people but as well as the Gypsies, many of whom travel across the Pennines from the North-East and North Yorkshire, another 50,000 other visitors are expected over the weekend.

The popularity of the fair, which started on Thursday and finishes on Wednesday, has increased this year after it featured on the Channel 4 series My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.

Robin Hooper, chief executive of Eden District Council and chair of the Multi-Agency Strategic Coordinating Group (MASCG), which helps run the event said: "We have seen a 40 per cent increase this year in people contacting the tourist information and enquiring about not just the horse fair but Cumbria as a whole.

"The programme has not only shown what Cumbria has to offer but also reintroduced the cultural heritage of travellers and Gypsies to a whole generation who knew nothing about them."

The horse fair is a key event for gipsies wanting buy, sell and race horses as well as forming a key date in the social diary.

Mr Hooper said: "The fair so far is running very well and the preparation work that all the agencies involved put into it have proven very successful."

Superintendent Sean Robinson, from Cumbria Police, said: "As anticipated, there seem to be increasing numbers of visitors this year and our early indications show that there are as many as 25 per cent more caravans in the area.

"Everyone we have spoken to seems to be very happy with the arrangements so far and we hope that this calm, celebratory atmosphere continues through the weekend so that people can enjoy themselves safely."

Police in Teesdale, County Durham said the hundreds of travellers who have passed through the area in recent weeks had caused little or no trouble.

Sergeant Chris Knox, from Barnard Castle Police, said: "We have had some community concerns, mainly in the Bowes area, where there was some trespassing, but in general things have gone well."