2 weeks ago
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Thousands of people have packed the streets of Lewes for bonfire night
Crowds of people are lining the streets of Lewes as the town’s bonfire societies march with burning torches for Guy Fawkes Night.
Tens of thousands of people were expected to turn out for the annual celebrations, a tradition still very much alive since the first recorded event in 1795.
Each society spends months producing an effigy - or tableau - which are paraded through the streets and then burned at various bonfire sites.
BBC Radio Sussex reporter George Carden said there was a "celebratory feeling" in the town as the processions began.
He added: "Smoke has filled the air and flames are lighting up the faces of those who've come to watch, while faint echoes of drumming come from over the hill."
PA Media
The bonfire societies have been parading through the streets with blazing torches
George Carden
Kevin and Cathy Mooney have been watching their first Lewes Bonfire from a hotel balcony
Kevin and Cathy Mooney, from Arizona, said they were in Lewes for the first time.
Mr Mooney said: "I'm pretty overwhelmed by it. It really has been amazing.
"I come from the United States and really can't think of anything that comes close to this."
Ms Mooney said she hoped Donald Trump would make an appearance as a tableau in Tuesday night's celebrations.
George Carden
Sewage spills and water quality controversies were the theme of another design
Previous effigies have included Rishi Sunak riding a train, Suella Braverman as an octopus and Jeremy Clarkson driving a skip.
On Tuesday night, one tableau highlighted sewage and water quality concerns, while another featured former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells.
Nick Edell
An effigy of Paula Vennells, former CEO of the Post Office, at Lewes Bonfire
Earlier, a grinning effigy of Nigel Farage holding a cigarette and a pint of beer was spotted in the town.
PA Media
A tableau of Nigel Farage was seen in Lewes earlier on Tuesday
Sussex Police had urged non-locals to stay away from the event due to the risk of "crowd crushing and crowd movement" in the narrow streets.
“The celebrations are always busy, challenging and complex,” Ch Supt Howard Hodges told BBC Radio Sussex.
“This is an event steeped in history, culture and tradition but it’s one we can’t be complacent about.
“There are inherent risks and that’s why the police, ambulance and fire service work really closely to make sure people can attend safely.”
George Carden
Spectators perched on a window sill to get a good view of the procession
While Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot of 1605 dominate the UK's autumnal bonfire tradition, the town also remembers the 17 Protestants who were burnt to death by the Catholic queen, Mary I, in Lewes in the 1500s.
There are a total of six processions through Lewes between 17:30 and 23:30 GMT.
Between the fifth and sixth parade, the bonfire societies will burn their tableaus and let off fireworks in their respective fields.
Nick Edell
The town also remembers the "Lewes martyrs" burnt to death in the 1500s
