THE cancellation of a popular event was 'inevitable' said a South Lakeland councillor.

Cumbria Steam Gathering, held at Cark Airfield, will not be running in 2021, organisers announced.

In a post on social media, they wrote: “A few of the committee got together in a safe location to try and decide if we could possibly run The Cumbria Steam Gathering in 2021.

"Sadly, after considering all our options, and studying the current rules which could change at any time for the worst, we have also had to consider all the variations in the rules that we would have to enforce, at great expense to the society. We dare not take the risk and we were also unsure if we can trust people to act responsibly, especially in the bar areas of an evening.

"Very sad but I expect most of you were expecting this already, so all entries received last year and the ones received this year will carry over until next year. Very sorry about this, but all things considered we had no other real option.”

Robin Ashcroft, Economy, Culture and Leisure portfolio holder for South Lakeland District Council, said: “Cumbria Steam Gathering is a hugely significant event for South Lakeland's local economy and it is highly regarded but realistically there's a degree of inevitability with the current situation around coronavirus.

"They are obviously being responsible and we look forward to welcoming back in future years when life gets back to normality.

"Realistically, with things like Glastonbury being cancelled, it's going to take a little time for these events to re-emerge and we need to be realistic and responsible."