Star comment: Travellers clean-up bills unfair
How much longer will ordinary people have to suffer the misery of having travellers illegally pitch-up their caravans on public open spaces bringing disruption, inconvenience and a disgusting trail of mess in their wake?
The frustrating bureaucratic obstacles needed to be taken every time one of these camps springs up are well known to communities frequently used as unlawful transit sites.
The relevant authorities are seemingly hamstrung by the law, particularly when they are dealing with a section of society that knows its rights inside out.
This newspaper is fully aware this is not a simple issue. Nothing is black and white, especially when it comes to the number of official gipsy and traveller pitches provided by councils and their accessibility to the travelling community. However, is it asking too much for travellers to pick up their mess when they go?
Gas canisters and even an old caravan were among the piles of waste left on land off Kitchen Lane in Ashmore Park when 25 caravans and cars left the site over the weekend. And planks of wood and broken tiles were discarded in Anchor Meadow by an encampment of 15 caravans in Aldridge last week.
The summer season typically sees a surge in illegal camps as travellers attend fairs and events all over the region. But this is no excuse for wrecking beauty spots and blighting parks by mindless fly-tipping.
Walsall Council has so far spent £15,000 clearing up and securing sites after travellers have set up illegal camps this year. It cannot be fair that the taxpayer has to literally pick up the rubbish and the cost.
If these groups are not difficult to trace, questions must be asked as to why they are not made to foot the bill to clear up this mess, particularly when unsafe materials such as gas canisters are left behind. We are not pointing the finger at just one section of the community.
This is about treating everyone fairly whether they live in a four-bedroomed detached house, a council flat or a caravan. The law must be applied to everyone from those who chuck litter in the streets to those who leave rubbish at an illegal camp. It is absurd that authorities tolerate this behaviour and unacceptable communities are forced to accept it. This situation must not be allowed to continue. It may be awkward for the police, councils and other authorities to fully grasp the nettle, but it must be done sooner rather than later.
