A LONG Ledbury tradition has been broken, because this year there will be no Town Bonfire Party at Ledbury Park.

The event was originally organised by Ledbury Round Table, with the first one taking place more than three decades ago.

But in recent years the bonfire party has been taken on by Ledbury Rotary Club; and Rotarians decided to pull the plug, or blow out the fuse, after the 2013 event made a loss of several hundred pounds, - when it was supposed to raise funds for various charities.

The key factor in 2013 was the deluge conditions, which put off big crowds, and Rotarians decided not to risk it this year.

Ledbury Rotary's public relations officer, Jan Long said: "Last year the weather was awful and that put people off. I trod in mud to over my wellies!

"We had several hundred people attending last year, but not as many as before. We need 500 to 1000 people just to balance the books.

"The fireworks cost up to £1,000, including the settings and the insurance."

Mrs Long said of the hard decision not to go ahead in 2014: "We are very disappointed. We see the Bonfire Party as part of our service to the community.

"But we hope it can come back next year; - it's something we want to do."

Ledbury's mayor, Cllr Bob Barnes said: "It is disappointing. The Bonfire Party brought a lot of pleasure to a lot of families; it's a community celebration, and I would definitely welcome its return next year."

In previous years, the event has attracted up to 1,800 people and has raised up to £1,200 for various charities.

Ledbury Park, off the Southend, is actually the grounds of the Ledbury Park mansion, at Top Cross, - a large half-timbered building which was built by the Biddulph family, around four hundred years ago.