Feed the rat ritual takes place in Halford

A TORCHLIT procession accompanied the annual feeding of the rat in Halford last Tuesday night where once again the ritual throwing of cheese into the River Stour took place.

Local folklore has it that a giant rat lurks in the river but the story goes back to the time of the Vikings.

A Viking warlord called King Hal founded Halford in 888 but his reign was brought to an abrupt end when he was killed by a giant rat which had mutated in the river and had grown so big because it lived off dairy products cast in the river during the making of cheese.

Over the last 30 years Halford villagers have gathered on a riverbank next to the Stour and thrown bits of cheese into the water on the eighth day of the eighth month at eight o’clock.

Full story in this week's Herald.