The first day had been called off due to the bad weather and then a decision was made late on Friday morning to cancel the whole event.

It is the second year in a row the show - the biggest of its kind in the region - has been hit by appalling weather after the 2007 event was also cancelled entirely.

The organisers said in a statement: "We are very sorry to announce that the Royal Lancashire Show has been cancelled. This follows health and safety assessments this morning and a review of the weather forecast for the coming weekend.

"The extremely heavy rain on Wednesday night/Thursday morning created very difficult conditions which deteriorated when vehicles arrived to set up yesterday. As a result the organisers took the decision to close the show to the public but continue with the animal classes.

"In spite of an 'army' of agricultural contractors who were brought in to repair the ground, the continuing rain has made this impossible. This, combined with the forecast of further heavy rain later today and tomorrow, has resulted in the cancellation."

Gordon Roberts, the show's chairman, said: "We are obviously extremely upset and disappointed for the traders/exhibitors/competitors and everyone who has worked so hard and supported the show.

"The team are devastated that the weather has defeated us again this year."

He added: "Our priority now is to ensure that the Show Ground is closed and everyone can leave with the minimum disruption. If anyone has any queries, we would ask them to contact us next week."

Cattle classes and judging were going ahead on the showfield on Friday, but the public were not being allowed on to the site at all.

Waterlogging

Around 60,000 people had been expected to attend the show over the three days.

It is bad luck for the event at its new home in former quarry land at Myerscough - a controversial decision which was given the go-ahead in January this year.

Weather experts had predicted that the bad weather would continue into Saturday.

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Show organisers had been examining whether the public could access the site a different way, as the majority of the waterlogging had happened near the public car park area.

TV presenter Stuart Hall was due to open the show and Coronation Street's Bill Roache was due to visit on Saturday.

Last year's three-day event was scrapped after relentless rain waterlogged the showground in the grounds of Salesbury Hall, in Ribchester, near Preston.

Unseasonal downpours also forced organisers to cancel the third and final day of the show in 2003 because the ground turned into a quagmire.

And between 1975 and 1979 the show was not held at all, with financial problems a significant factor.

>> Royal Lancashire Show cancelled 2007

>> Traffic concerns over Royal Lancashire Show

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