THE fun of the fair returned to Chipping Sodbury at the weekend with its biannual Mop fair.

Fairground rides filled the town, with helter skelters and carousels lining Broad Street and High Street as families turned out to join in the fun.

There was a good turnout over Friday and Saturday, with young children packing onto the dodgems and trampolines and teenagers taking on the more hair-raising rides.

Visitors browsed games and sweet stalls and got stuck into a thoroughly traditional day out at the fair, with the weather holding out for most of the weekend, aside from some light showers.

Fair organiser William Porter said it had been another good year for the Mop.

“We had a little bit of rain on Saturday afternoon,” he said. “But it was good, with all the usual rides and attractions.”

The fair was originally started by the founder of Chipping Sodbury, William Crassus, in the 12th century as a way of finding new labourers to work the land each season.

In past years the fair had become associated with underage drinking, which reached a climax in 2004, requiring the police to bring in extra manpower to patrol the event.

Since its scaling back, however, the Mop has returned to its family roots, seeing less trouble and youngsters out with their parents at the fairground.

This weekend saw the family vibes once more prevail over antisocial behaviour and an Avon and Somerset Police spokeswoman confirmed that there had been no incidents.