Blackpool Council has issued a warning to the Norbreck Castle Hotel, located near the Blackpool seafront, regarding a planned reptile and amphibian market scheduled to take place on August 10th, 2025. According to the Council, this event could potentially involve unlawful animal trading.
In light of the concerns surrounding this event, numerous venues across the country have already made the decision to not host reptile markets. This is due to the association of such markets with illegal animal trading and animal suffering. The event organizer, the International Herpetological Society (I.H.S.), was previously denied by a venue in Bradford for a similar market on June 22nd, 2025, before securing the Norbreck Castle Hotel as an alternative.
The proposed market would feature thousands of animals for sale by dealers from various parts of the country. However, Blackpool Council has warned that this activity would violate the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 and the Pet Animals Act 1951. It is worth noting that trading pet animals over market stalls has been prohibited since 1983 due to concerns regarding animal welfare.
Reptile and amphibian markets have long been associated with animal suffering. These markets often involve the sale of sensitive and vulnerable wild animals, such as lizards, snakes, and frogs, who are packed into small, plastic takeaway containers and displayed as inanimate objects. Their specific welfare needs are often ignored, leaving them without access to food, water, shelter, and the ability to move freely.
Elaine Toland, Director of the Animal Protection Agency, commends Blackpool Council for taking a strong stance in protecting animals and upholding the law. She also expresses concern over the Norbreck Castle Hotel potentially hosting this notorious reptile market and urges Britannia Hotels, the parent company of the hotel, to cancel the event.
Similarly, Laura Walton, Campaigns Manager for Freedom for Animals, states that cramming thousands of sensitive wild animals into takeaway containers for sale is a gross violation of their welfare. She urges the Norbreck Castle Hotel to make the right decision and reject this form of cruelty.
Charlotte Regan, Wildlife Campaigns Manager for World Animal Protection, emphasizes that every reptile and amphibian for sale at these markets is a sentient being capable of feeling complex emotions. She believes that these types of events are outdated and have no place in modern society.
Blackpool Council has been praised for taking proactive measures in cautioning the Norbreck Castle Hotel about the planned market. It is worth noting that the hotel and its parent company, Britannia Hotels Ltd, have faced controversy in the past. In 2023, consumer group Which? declared Britannia Hotels to be the worst hotel chain in the United Kingdom for the 11th consecutive year.
The Animal Protection Agency, World Animal Protection, and Freedom for Animals are all working together towards putting an end to the inhumane trading of wild animals at markets. This article was distributed by https://pressat.co.uk/ on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025.
