Council reviewing all options following concerns over weekend tent pegging event
Published on
Walsall Council is extremely concerned by the scale of disruption and the impact on local residents arising from a Tent Pegging event held on land off Erdington Road, Aldridge, over the 18th and 19th of July 2026. The Council is undertaking a full review into the significant impact on residents.
Tent pegging is a lawful equestrian sport in which riders use lances or swords to strike ground targets while riding at speed. While the activity itself is lawful, the Council's concerns relate to the impact on residents and the surrounding community.
The Council has received numerous reports of severe traffic congestion, dangerous driving, inconsiderate parking, blocked roads and driveways, and restricted visibility at junctions. Residents have reported local roads being overwhelmed by the volume of traffic associated with the event, creating unacceptable disruption and potential risks to public safety.
A significant amount of photographic and video evidence has been submitted and will now form part of a full review into the event, the impact this had, and the actions taken by all relevant organisations.
As part of the review, the Council will engage with West Midlands Police and other partners to establish what happened, identify lessons learned and determine what additional measures may be required in future.
The Council is actively considering all available options. This includes reviewing potential enforcement action and assessing whether legal measures, may be appropriate to prevent future events that create a similar level of disruption, nuisance or risk to public safety.
Residents have a right to expect that events of this nature are managed responsibly and do not have an unacceptable impact on them or on surrounding communities. The scale of the issues reported this weekend is not acceptable, and the Council is determined to ensure that robust measures are put in place to prevent a repeat of the situation.
The Council would like to thank residents and ward councillors who have provided information and evidence to support the review.
“ The level of disruption reported by residents is wholly unacceptable. We are carrying out a full review of what occurred and are considering all available options. That includes exploring legal remedies, including injunctions where necessary, to prevent future events from causing this level of impact on residents and local communities.
"Our priority is to protect residents, maintain public safety and ensure that the issues experienced this weekend are not repeated." “
END
