A council row has erupted after a horse fair went ahead despite receiving significant backlash.
The Pembroke Horse Fair was never given the green light by the local council but organisers still held the event on council land at Monkton Community Centre.
Organiser Charlie Price insisted that Pembrokeshire County Council had been assisting with preparations, saying: "Why do you think the council have been here in their trucks, helping us this morning?"
Mr Price called a local meeting attended by 40 people to reassure those in the area.
He invited local councillor Jonathan Grimes, who was unable to attend.
Mr Price jeered that he would "stand for council" and "take his (Mr Grimes) seat if he doesn't help the community".
He told locals he had met with a high-ranking police officer who said they were "willing to work" with the organisers.
Around 100 horses were brought to the event, with no roads being closed across the area.
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The event was hosted on land owned by Pembrokeshire County Council, despite the council never granting access
|Mr Price said emergency vehicle access had been considered.
Despite these reassurances, Pembrokeshire County Council said that "no permission" had been granted for the horse fair.
In a statement on Tuesday, the council said: "We are aware of the proposed horse fair to be run on August 30 at Monkton. No permission has been granted for this event to take place on council land.
"We have written to the organiser setting out our concerns and making clear that they must ensure any event is managed safely and responsibly.
"We will monitor the situation closely and work with our partners to minimise disruption to the community."
Mr Price and his organisers still went ahead with the event, even inviting the local mayor, who was unavailable due to a "family engagement".
The event had been widely promoted on social media, encouraging members of the gypsy and traveller community to attend.
The horse fair received mixed reactions online on local Facebook groups.
Around 100 horses were at the event in south-west Wales
|Responding to images of horses at the event, one user said: "The yanking on these poor horses' mouths is cruel and nasty. They feel pain too! Awful to see!"
Another added: "Don't think some of those children should be trying to ride the horses or with horse and carts on the road."
Others took a more positive outlook, with some commenters pushing for it to become an annual event.
One commenter stated: "It looks like a fabulous event, hopefully it carries on. Well done to all who organised this brilliant day."