Beaufort Polo Club has announced the cancellation of the 2020 Gloucestershire Festival of Polo.

The polo club, based in Westonbirt, has announced the cancellation of its most popular annual event which was scheduled to take place on June 6 and 7.

The announcement comes as the UK Government has advised social contact and non-essential travel should be minimised during the current coronavirus pandemic.

Restrictions on the support of emergency services also mean the only responsible decision is to cancel the event.

Mark Tomlinson, director of Beaufort Polo Club said: “We will of course return with this popular event in 2021 and aim to start planning for that immediately.

"Furthermore, we are not losing all hope yet for 2020 and are exploring with the Hurlingham Polo Association, the possibility of hosting the festival’s scheduled International Test Match later on in the summer.”

The International was one of the multiple matches planned for the Gloucestershire Festival of Polo weekend and is part of a three match Test series organised by the HPA this year, with the Frasers England Team taking on Pakistan.

Beaufort Polo Club will update information as and when possible.

Beaufort Polo Club would like to thank all its members, sponsors, suppliers and followers for their support and understanding during these unprecedented times.

Mark Tomlinson added: “We are all facing a period of uncertainty amidst a very challenging global health crisis.

"Public health is everyone’s priority and whilst the cancellation of our season’s feature event is of course disappointing, we must join the effort to protect people’s welfare during this time.”