Gas cannisters, children's toys and rubbish left at illegal travellers' site in Plymouth
PILES of rubbish have been left scattered in hedgerows at the site of an illegal camp in Woolwell.
Cannisters of compressed gas, petrol cans, prams and children's bikes are among the junk found dumped after a group of travellers left the plot in Woolwell yesterday.
-
Plymouth City Council says the mess, which includes more than 20 bags of rubbish and dozens of empty bottles of alcohol, will cost hundreds of pounds to clear up.
Around 10 caravans pitched up at a patch of grass near the Tesco supermarket on Sunday — but the cavalcade left yesterday afternoon after the council threatened them with eviction.
"We are expecting the clean up of this site to cost in the region of £670 and our staff will be at the site tomorrow," said a spokeswoman for the council.
"We currently spend around £130,000 a year on cleaning up unauthorised encampments."
Despite the huge amount of rubbish left in their wake, one local councillor is pleased to have been able to move the Gypsies off the site.
"This is a bit of good news for Plymouth, especially because we do not have to go through the courts to get an eviction notice," said Conservative councillor Michael Foster who is running for re-election in the Moor View ward.
He said a member of staff from the council's social inclusion department met with the travellers and it was decided they would leave the area.
It is believed the group, which includes families with young children, has moved on to other areas in the South West, including Cornwall.
"We are gradually trying to stop them from going to sites that they have been to before," said Mr Foster.
He said measures that could be put in place at the Woolwell site include embedding large stone boulders into the grass to stop caravans and other vehicles pitching up.
Speaking to The Herald on Monday, one of the travellers said some of the cavalcade were applying for housing in the city.
"Half of us are putting in for a house but it takes ages," she said.
"I would like to stay in Plymouth."
The president of The Gypsy Council, Hughie Smith, said the solution to illegal encampments was not through moving people along but with legal sites.
"The Government itself has said it is pointless moving families outside an area to become a problem somewhere else," he said.
"I can understand the frustration of people when they do not have a legal site."
Plans for a permanent Gypsy site at Efford Warren were stalled after a £1.3million bid for funding was refused by the Government.
The council is now in discussion with the Homes and Communities Agency over the way forward.
69 Comments
View all
by bill, plymouth
Saturday, May 01 2010, 9:06AM
“http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8653949.stm
send them home to fill these houses”
by Kevin, Plymouth
Friday, April 30 2010, 9:38PM
“M of Plymouth - NEVER have travellers left an area as they have found it !!! They are a damn nuisance and a drain on our taxes cleaning up after them. No one would mind if they EVER did leave an area clean and tidy, but that is like whisteling in the wind”
by D, Plymouth
Friday, April 30 2010, 11:16AM
“LOL Excellent Dave,if you can produce that sort of stuff all the time you should be on TV!”
by Dave, Devonport
Friday, April 30 2010, 9:43AM
“Those stones they put up to stop Neolithic Pikeys pitching their caravans on Salisbury Plain didn't turn out so bad.”
by stuart, Plymouth
Friday, April 30 2010, 2:17AM
“Orwell..
Old buddy.old pal of mine,yes well travelled am i,but i didnt take a year out,ive been doing it for 20 years;im more of a traveller than the 'travellers'.Guess what..i always respected the places i went and the people i met and as a result always felt welcomed.
So my old mucka,your damned right i am smashing indeed,you could be but i think you need to drop the 'protect the innocent and the poor'routine when it is not appropriate.Of course not ALL travellers are bad,but 85% deafinitely are.I repeat for the last time what i have said.As far as i am concerned if they clean up their mess and show a bit more respect to the rest of the community i have no problem with them;until them fkcu em.”
by Will, Gosport (Serving away from Plymouth)
Friday, April 30 2010, 12:38AM
“Up and down the country there are hundreds of Military Bases which are disused but the only thing developiing is weed. Why not utilise these for the travellers.”
by Orwell, Dagobah
Thursday, April 29 2010, 8:37PM
“Hey Stuart (or should I say "pal" or even Yoda - "innocent and naive you are"!!)...you're a man of the world are you? Hey? Nudge nudge, wink wink...say no more!
That is a great post - "been there, seen it and done it"! Well I must profess to not having done everything and, yes, unfortunately I do live in Plymouth now but also come from the South East - in fact, gasp, London! Hey - maybe we could hook up and trade stories from our travels around the world, because, guess what, I've travelled it too!! Yippee!
Dear oh dear. You asked for a positive - I gave it...now grow up. You talk about all travellers as 'they' - that reveals your ignorance...let me ask you question man of the south east are you a member of RA? I saw how they treated the travellers at Bexley Heath for many years, man of the world.
Sources: Govt and community website - google it you shall. Link provided it is...!
http://www.communities.gov.uk/communities/about/
Search through website you shall.
Information there it is...
Anyway Stuart, I'm sure you're a smashing geezer in reality and I accept your views, but please accept there may be some travellers out there who don't deserve the unfair rap you're giving them...you know, metaphorically we're all travellers through life
(LMFAO, I will)!!”
by Kelly, Plymouth
Thursday, April 29 2010, 7:44PM
“So.....they campillegally leavin us with a massive clean up bill, they don't pay council tax or water rates etc but now they have applied to be housed costin us more money! How will they pay there rent, council tax or is that a stupid question? What a Mick take on all us hard workin tax payers?!”
by Mel, Plymouth
Thursday, April 29 2010, 7:24PM
“Not shocked at the 'travellers' leaving a mess behind them once again, Let us remember these are simpley unemployed nomads wandering the countryside. A true Romany Gypsy leaves NO MESS behind them. They live a very clean and harmonious lifestyle. There is a difference.
I also agree with the earlier comment about not getting the tax payer to foot the bill but get some of these people doing 'community service' to clean it up. After all, the majority of them havent done a days honest graft in their lives either!”
by mad life init, mobile around plymouth
Thursday, April 29 2010, 7:10PM
“Someone posted a picture on i-herald the other day. From the derriford site that this group was at before moving to Woolwell. There was nappies and human faeces and tissue everywhere. toys, furniture, bricks, doors. Where do they get this from? It's not in the caravans is it. No pride. And they want a permeant site to live. i don't think so do you!!!”