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Lewes Bonfire Society torches 'tallest' Guy | Lewes Bonfire Society torches 'tallest' Guy |
(34 minutes later) | |
Thousands of people have gathered at bonfire celebrations in Lewes to see a 50ft (15m) Guy Fawkes effigy torched in an bid to set a record for the tallest Guy. | Thousands of people have gathered at bonfire celebrations in Lewes to see a 50ft (15m) Guy Fawkes effigy torched in an bid to set a record for the tallest Guy. |
More than 30 different processions made their way through the East Sussex town. | |
Lewes Borough Bonfire Society boasted it had built a one-of-a-kind landmark which would illuminate the sky. | Lewes Borough Bonfire Society boasted it had built a one-of-a-kind landmark which would illuminate the sky. |
Six bonfire societies were involved in the event. | |
Chairman Jason Winter said of the 50ft Guy: "This is the biggest one we've ever done. I think it's the biggest one that anyone's ever done." | Chairman Jason Winter said of the 50ft Guy: "This is the biggest one we've ever done. I think it's the biggest one that anyone's ever done." |
Jim Etherington, from Cliffe Bonfire Society, said people described the famous Sussex event as anarchic, but that was "romanticising it". | Jim Etherington, from Cliffe Bonfire Society, said people described the famous Sussex event as anarchic, but that was "romanticising it". |
"It's incredibly well-organised with due care for safety," he said. | "It's incredibly well-organised with due care for safety," he said. |
"The days when fireworks were thrown and barrels rolled down through the town are long gone." | "The days when fireworks were thrown and barrels rolled down through the town are long gone." |
Michael Symes, from Lewes Bonfire Society, said the town would "be alight from one end to another". | Michael Symes, from Lewes Bonfire Society, said the town would "be alight from one end to another". |
Sussex Police assistant chief constable Robin Smith said the priority was safety. | Sussex Police assistant chief constable Robin Smith said the priority was safety. |
Alcohol also caused problems and about 50 injuries last year were related to drink, he added. | Alcohol also caused problems and about 50 injuries last year were related to drink, he added. |
BBC reporter Charlie Rose tweeted that the centre of Lewes was packed with onlookers enjoying the spectacle of the parades, and there was no room to move on the pavements. | BBC reporter Charlie Rose tweeted that the centre of Lewes was packed with onlookers enjoying the spectacle of the parades, and there was no room to move on the pavements. |
Bonfire societies across the South East also burn effigies of more current, controversial figures. Last year Lewes torched figures including Russian president Vladimir Putin. | Bonfire societies across the South East also burn effigies of more current, controversial figures. Last year Lewes torched figures including Russian president Vladimir Putin. |
Effigies this year included one of the Prime Minister, David Cameron and the former BBC Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson. | |
The celebrations in Lewes are one of the UK's biggest annual bonfire events. | |
A model of Pope Paul V - Pontiff at the time of the Gunpowder Plot - is burned every year to remember 17 Protestant martyrs burned at the stake in the town during the 16th Century. | A model of Pope Paul V - Pontiff at the time of the Gunpowder Plot - is burned every year to remember 17 Protestant martyrs burned at the stake in the town during the 16th Century. |
Fifa president Sepp Blatter has already been named as the target of a Kent society's celebrations - but BBC reporter Nathalie Edell also saw him make an appearance in Lewes before the evening parades got under way. | |
She tweeted: "Well there's a sight for sore eyes... A Blatter effigy makes its way through Lewes this morning #lewesbonfire" | She tweeted: "Well there's a sight for sore eyes... A Blatter effigy makes its way through Lewes this morning #lewesbonfire" |