RIPON

A pancake race that goes back 600 years and has undergone a revival in the past decade has been abandoned because of health and safety rules.

The race, held on Shrove Tuesday in Ripon, North Yorkshire, has been cancelled because of the mountain of risk assessments that must be carried out before children can take part.

The Very Rev Keith Jukes, Dean of Ripon and co-organiser of the event, admitted that the event had become too expensive to hold since its revival in 1998, with rising policing costs and expensive road closures adding to the problem.

He said: “Sadly, the big reason it won’t take place this year is health and safety. We have to go through a number of risk assessments. The insurance companies demand it.”

His fellow organiser, Bernard Bateman, said the situation was health and safety gone mad: “The main issue is the cobbled street, that people could slip on. This stupidity never happened previously. It’s a shame these issues stop the children enjoying such a traditional event.

“The policing costs are just as bad. The police wanted in excess of £1,200, which is just ridiculous.”

In the past, local schools and businesses have entered teams to race while tossing pancakes.

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