Hundreds of horse-drawn vehicles take to the road

It follows an incident last year when a father and his young son died after a lorry hit their horse-drawn caravan as they joined the A66 from Appleby.

Hundreds of people using horse-drawn vehicles are expected at the fair which runs from Thursday until 9 June.

The signs, featuring a horse and carriage, will be put up from Tuesday warn motorists to take extra care.

Fast road

Martyn Cox, A66 route manager with the Highways Agency, said safety was a top priority.

He said: "Over the next few weeks, with the Appleby Horse Fair, there will be more horse-drawn vehicles on the roads.

"Many of these will use the A66 because there are few alternatives. They are not a common sight on our roads today and much slower than other traffic and very vulnerable."

Mr Cox said drivers were being warned to expect to see the horse-drawn vehicles, to be patient and take extra care.

He said: "We have placed extra warning signs on the route and trailer mounted electronic message signs providing traffic information when necessary.

"It is a fast road and that's where the main danger lies because of the difference in the speeds of the vehicles."