TAVISTOCK'S famous Goose Fair could face a boycott this year — fairground companies are threatening to stay away because of a hike in rent charges.

Fairs which have been coming to Goose Fair for as many as 80 years have say the 6% rise wanted by West Devon Borough Council Council and Tavistock Town Council is just too much.

A special meeting has been called by the Showmen's Guild for the end of this month where a decision will be taken whether or not to attend the event.

Alan Jenkins from Thomas Rowland's Fair said Tavistock was very expensive compared with other towns and he felt it was time they made a stand.

He said: 'If the rent was increased somewhere around inflation it would be okay, but we are fed up with paying large increases year on year.

'The town council plans to raise the rent by 6% each year for the next three years.

'I have long family ties with the Tavistock area and have been coming to Goose Fair for a long time. It is very sad to think of the fair without the rides but it is very likely, this year, that we will not be attending.'

Fairground owner David Rowland said the latest increase was 'the straw that broke the camel's back'.

'This is my local fair and my family have been going to it for generations,' he said. 'But it has got to a stage where we just cannot stand it anymore and I am not prepared to put the cost onto the public.'

Clerk to Tavistock Town Council Roger Howard said the reason for the 6% increase was because there were extra expenses this year and these had also been passed on to the stallholders.

'We have to pay for the police now whereas in the past it has always been free,' he said. 'The council originally wanted 20% over the next three years but dropped that to 18 after talks with the fairground people.

'I must stress that not all the fairground companies are in the Showmen's Guild and we have received some positive enquiries from others about coming to Goose Fair.'

Tavistock mayor Cllr Norma Woodcock said the council had held two meetings with the Showmen's Guild and believed a compromise over fees was reached at the second meeting.

She said: 'We would be extremely disappointed if they did not come because we value their contribution to Goose Fair.

'We hope they are able to come and give us the wonderful day that we and everybody else in the South West enjoy.'

The borough council, which charged a 2% increase last year, said staffing costs had also played a part in the rise.

Press officer for West Devon Borough Council Alison Stoneham said to accommodate the fairground, the authority would be losing revenue from the Bedford Square Car Park and so it had to compensate for that.

'We have to tread a fine line and charge enough so the council taxpayers get a good deal out of it,' she said.

'The interest of the taxpayers is always at the forefront of everything we do.'