The traditional village fete, which has been a popular summer event across Britain, is dying out because of stifling bureaucracy.

They are the traditional pleasures of a British summer fair. But the spin of the tombola and the fun of the coconut shy are being eclipsed by the rustle of paperwork and the shuffle of the inspector's footsteps.

Village fete organisers say they are having to cancel events because volunteers are struggling to cope with the demands of officialdom.

The person in charge of an event which breaks the terms of its licence may face a £20,000 fine or six months in prison, while failure to meet stringent insurance requirements could see village committee members sued in the event of an accident.

Jason Mawer of ukvillages.co.uk said the website, which promotes village life, regularly received enquiries from fete organisers struggling to "get the bureaucracy sorted out".