Emergency services in Lewes have agreed to stop trains arriving in the town on November 5, to discourage visitors who may attend even though Bonfire is effectively cancelled.
The authorities stated today (October 8) that no public bonfires or fireworks displays would be permitted, and the town's roads would be open to all vehicles, as no bonfire society would be processing in the streets.
In their statement, the multi-agency group said the commemorations had fallen victim to the universal concern over the risk of spreading the coronavirus at any event where crowds might attend.
However, the statement also said, "as they will not be able to celebrate in the usual way, they have chosen to mark the event with private acts of remembrance."
Speaking on behalf of the group, Chief Superintendent Lisa Bell from Sussex Police said:
“The message is clear - Lewes is not the place to visit to celebrate Bonfire Night.
"Unfortunately, we have evidence that people are still planning to come to and stay in the town despite celebrations being cancelled.
“When you take into account that up to 1,000 people can arrive at the same time on a train, the multi-agency group decided it was right to request a change in services.
"We believe this will help protect the local communities from Covid-19 and help maintain social distancing on trains by deterring anyone who is still thinking of visiting.
“While many people will now be working from home, we know that this will still impact some commuters.
"We hope they will understand the importance of trying to stop large numbers of people making this journey during the pandemic.”
There will be no trains calling at Lewes, Glynde, Cooksbridge and Southease after 17.00 on 5 November 2020.
Online train journey planners such as National Rail Enquiries are being updated to reflect this change.
Trains will begin to call at the above stations from the start of service on the morning of 6 November as normal.
The group said it recognised that there will be an impact on train passengers.
It claimed that the decision to bring in travel restrictions has been made in the best interests of safety and public health.
Its members hoped that those who are inconvenienced will understand that and are able to make alternative arrangements where possible.
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