Crowds gather for Lewes Bonfire celebrations

Lewes's bonfire societies have filled the town centre for its annual parade, including effigies of Fifa boss Gianni Infantino and Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

Bonfire societies from Lewes all organise their own bonfires, effigies and fireworks displays as part of the annual parade held each year on 5 November.

Other effigies in the procession, which attracts tens of thousands of people a year, took aim at water companies including Southern Water.

Mick Symes, chair of Lewes Borough Bonfire Society, told BBC Radio Sussex: "Ours is topical and should strike a note with local people, but its a well kept secret."

Effigies in previous years have included prime ministers, foreign leaders and other public figures who are paraded through the town centre and later burned by each bonfire society.

Josh Reed, who manages the White Hart pub, said the East Sussex town would be "full to the brim" on Thursday.

Last year the event drew an estimated crowd of 40,000 people, and emergency services urged people coming from out of town to stay away.

A number of road closures were put in place including parts of the A27 and A26. Trains were also not stopping at Lewes and surrounding stations on Thursday evening.

Sussex Police Ch Supt Graham Barnett said Lewes Bonfire Night was one of the biggest single events the force deals with each year, and that they "put a lot of resource into".

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