Ottery Tar Barrels: Devon's bizarre but iconic event as wild as ever - in photos

Saturday night saw the return of one of Devon’s most iconic but truly bizarre events. Crowds of people flocked to Ottery St Mary for the fiery Tar Barrels display.

The event saw locals lugging huge flaming barrels soaked in tar through the town in an adrenaline-pumping display. The spectacle of full-sized lit tar barrels being carried by local men, women and children through the small streets of Ottery St Mary has been running for hundreds of years.

It's thought that it was borne out of the gunpowder plot of 1605. It has also been suggested that the quirky tradition stems from the practice of setting tar barrels on fire to warn of an invading force - particularly, the Spanish Armada.

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So, whether you believe the Tar Barrel event came from the Spanish invasion or the gunpowder plot, the event draws a huge crowd every year. Burning barrels of tar was a common practice in many towns in the South West. There was a time when locals began running with them on their backs, but before that, people used to roll them down the main streets while they were on fire.

Rather than give up the tradition, people in Ottery instead started carrying them on their backs - and the tradition stuck. The event usually takes place on November 5, but this year as the date falls on a Sunday, the Tar Barrels were carried through the town last night.

To view photos from last night's display scroll down.