Motorcyclists head for Hastings for the May Bank Holiday each year

Thousands of bikers have descended on Hastings as part of a May Bank Holiday tradition extending back decades.

Organisers were expecting more than 20,000 motorcyclists from across the country to visit the Sussex resort on Monday.

The bikers are usually welcome visitors to the town, with many traders saying they make it one of the most profitable days of the year.

The A21 in Kent, the main road to Hastings, was closed on Monday morning after a biker was hurt in a crash.

Busy weekend

The motorcyclists park in the Pelham Car Park on Hastings seafront, chat to their fellow bikers, look at each other's vehicles, with some enjoying a quick drink in one of the town's seafront pubs.

The tradition started years ago when one motorcycle club decided to hold a bank holiday trip to Hastings, chosen because it was at the end of the A21, considered a good road for riding down.

The weekend is usually a busy one for the town, with it also hosting the Jack in the Green festivities - one of the largest gatherings of morris dancers in the UK.

Kent Police had to close part of the A21 near Lamberhurst on Monday morning after a motorcycle crash.

It is not known whether the rider, who was taken to hospital, was heading to Hastings.

He was not seriously hurt and the road was re-opened by 1200 BST, but police were warning of delays in the early afternoon.