Travellers

A group of travellers descended on the area at around midnight on Monday night. They broke the locks on the gates to the park yet again. A number of vans, cars, caravans and motorhomes moved in. The Borough Council prepared a case to go to the Magistrates’ Court and obtained a summons which was then served on the travellers. A hearing in the Magistrates’ Court took place on Thursday. The magistrates granted the Borough Council an Order for Removal of Vehicles and Persons under section 78 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act. The travellers clearly had no intention of leaving quietly so the Borough Council engaged a firm of bailiffs to remove them. The bailiffs were in the park most of Friday to move them on. The bailiffs said that the group was particularly aggressive and confrontational, so it was good to have a swift resolution to the problem. Of course, as usual there was a huge amount of detritous left behind for the Borough Council to clear. The cost to the Council in terms of officer time, engaging the bailiffs and clearing and securing the park will run to thousands of pounds.