SALISBURY Carnival will not be going ahead this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The decision for the October 13 event to be cancelled was announced by Salisbury City Council today, with reasons including the social distancing measures currently in place, the safety of participants and the inability to gather materials as a result of the virus outbreak.

The authority said: "With large gatherings unlikely for the foreseeable future, pressure on entrants to fund this season becomes much greater and cart-entering clubs are unable to continue their builds with government social distancing measures in place. Many materials are also currently unavailable to the public.

"The decision was made with the safety of the participants, spectators, marshals and judges in mind and the social distancing measures that are currently in place."

The makes Salisbury part of the 80 per cent of local Wessex carnival towns and cities that decided to halt carnival plans this year.

The council added: "We look forward to hosting Salisbury Carnival in October 2021 and hope to see you there."