Thousands have flocked to a rural town to see flaming tar barrels carried along its streets for Bonfire Night.

Ottery St Mary was expected to double in size with 20,000 visitors and the Devon town had to close to visitors with the car parks filling up early due to poor weather.

The evening spectacle, which is believed to date back to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, started with the children’s barrels before the women’s, men’s and intermediate event got under way.

A total of 27 barrels were due to be carried throughout the evening.

Tattoo artists and hairdressers were among those who were ready for one of their busiest times of the year, while many shopfronts were boarded up ahead of the event.

Seven-year-old Jessica – the youngest entrant this year – told Les White, who was the oldest at 69, was “excited and a little bit nervous”.

The annual event sees selected town residents taking turns to run through the streets carrying burning wooden firkins in an “ancient rite of passage”, Andrew Wade, president of the Tar Barrels Committee, said.

He said there were “lots of ideas of how it first started” but looking back through history, “most of it was to do with 1605 when bonfires and effigies were burnt and barrels were plentiful”.

“The barrels used to be rolled, that’s why the people are called barrel rollers,” he added.

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 saw a group of English Catholics’ – including Guy Fawkes – carry out an unsuccessful attempt to kill King James VI of Scotland and I of England.

Darrin Abbott, who was born and bred in Ottery St Mary, travelled from Hawaii to take part in the Bonfire Night occasion.

“This is our Christmas… I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” he said.

Hattie, who started tar barrel rolling “late” when she was 12 years old, said: “You have to do it as a kid to be able to qualify to be able to do it as an adult.”

She said her brothers, aunties, cousins and both her grandfathers had taken part in the past.

Maddie Small, who participated for the 11th year in a row, said it was a family tradition.

“It’s a normal town… everyone has normal jobs but tonight is the night we all come together,” she said.

The town’s library was used as a safety base at the event.

Supt Int Joe Matthews, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said officers worked with the council, fire and ambulance services to keep people “as safe as possible”.

Director Ash Franks said the event used the St Johns Ambulance Service as well as its own medical teams.

Darrin Abbott, one of the veterans of the event, commented: “Everything is absolutely controlled.

“Once this finishes we’ll have a debrief and take a cold hard look at what we’ve done and what worked well.”

The only piece of “specialist” clothing worn for the event are gloves made of heavy sacking, Mr Wade said, with some choosing to put strapping on their arms and petroleum jelly on their faces for extra protection.

Tim Whiteoak, station manager for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue, said the event was “ironically” fairly safe.

“We’ve hardly had any incidents and certainly none relating to the tar barrels,” he continued.

“That is testament to the organisation of the event and the partnership with the blue light services.”

Chief steward Paul Gibbons said volunteers were the “eyes and ears” of the event.

“We enjoy it, and if we all don’t do our integral part of the team, this event won’t happen,” he said.

The event will end with “Gurt Big Un”, the Midnight Barrel, and organisers said roads were expected to reopen at 01:00 on Thursday.

• Watch back our coverage of the event on iPlayer