A ROMSEY leader has stressed the public's safety must come first after an annual carnival was cancelled amid coronavirus fears.

The Romsey Carnival, which sees a procession of floats dominate the town in July, was called off in an announcement on Tuesday (March 9).

In a Facebook post, the chairman and committee said with "deep regret" they had to cancel this year's festivities.

The difficult decision was made because the team was unsure what coronavirus restrictions will be in place in July.

Town and borough councillor, Nik Daas, said the committee was right to cancel the event, believing revellers should be protected from the deadly bug.

He said: "Much like Beggars Fair, unfortunately we have to put safety first and cancel the event this year so that next year we can enjoy it to the fullest extent.

"Hopefully, there will be more positivity with Christmas events and we can look forward to the next year where hopefully all of these summer events, which we love and bring huge vibrancy to Romsey, will be back up and flourishing with the summer sun."

Mayor of Romsey and councillor Janet Burnage worried charities could suffer from no donations being raised from the carnival.

She said: "It is disappointing that again we are still in this situation even with the vaccine.

"The carnival has been so good over the last few years and of course charities will suffer, because all the money that is fundraised goes to them."

However, town and borough councillor Dorothy Baverstock admitted she was not surprised the carnival was axed this year, citing the uncertainty around lockdown restrictions in the summer.

She explained: "I am not surprised because everything is so uncertain at the moment; I applaud the carnival committee for making this decision, because there are various things coming out from the Government about the fact that we could even be back into another lockdown if people do not behave. "Hours and hours of effort is put into organising things like this and Covid comes along and absolutely cuts it off.

"I feel that it is very brave of the organisers to actually make this decision and next year we can come back rejuvenated just like Beggars Fair will."

As reported, the Romsey Carnival team stressed members are already planning next year's carnival, adding visitors will have plenty of new events to look forward to in 2022.

The Facebook post reads: "There will be all the usual events plus some new, exciting ones and we hope to raise more money than ever for local good causes. We look forward to seeing you safely in 2022."