A WRANGLE over a Welsh bull that failed to perform reached its conclusion in a Ludlow court this week and left a charity organisation with a bill for hundreds of pounds.

The "digitally timed competition rodeo bull", an inflatable life-size model, was meant to be a highlight of the Craven Arms Carnival in July.

The generator used to inflate the bull repeatedly caused all the fuses to blow when it was plugged in to a socket at the nearby Community Centre, claimed the carnival committee.

Bar

Worse still, the power failure caused the "cooler" system at the licensed bar to fail and hundreds of thirsty fun-seekers were left gasping for a cold drink on possibly the hottest day of the summer.

People left the sports ground to find refreshment elsewhere and the carnival committee faced not only the loss of revenue from them but also a bill for £300 for the bull hire from Bounceamania of Llandrindod Wells.

In reply, the bull owners claimed the wiring at the Community Centre was faulty and it was not their fault that the blow-up beast was a flop. Bouceamania took legal action for the £300 owed to them.

On Tuesday the case was heard at the Ludlow small claims court and the judge ordered the committee to pay the outstanding bill and the court costs - as yet unknown.

The carnival is organised on a non-profit paying basis by volunteers and proceeds are earmarked for a charity - the Craven Arms Playing Fields Association - trying to raise funds to provide a much-needed facility for the town's youngsters.

Mike Sykes, chairman of the carnival committee was stunned by the decision.

"I just can't believe it and I don't understand the reasoning," he told The Advertiser. "This has probably used up all our profits from this year's event. I will have to think about this and discuss it further before we decide on anything."