Delight as travellers move out of illegal camp
Monday 27th September 2010, 5:30PM BST.
Travellers who set up an illegal camp on green belt land near Wolverhampton, leaving elderly residents distraught, have moved out – for now.
Twenty-six members of the same family invaded the site in Ball Lane, Coven Heath, earlier this month.
They were served with a High Court injunction blocking them from bringing on any more caravans just hours after they launched an official bid to stay put.
Now all six caravans have left the field, to the delight of residents on adjoining Hordern Park and Hordern Lodge luxury mobile home sites.
But today family matriarch Elaine Lee, who owns the land but does not have planning permission for it, warned they would be back.
The 60-year-old said: “They have gone travelling for work purposes, as is our tradition, but they will only be gone for a short while.”
Only a small unoccupied caravan remains today.
Residents protested to South Staffordshire Council after being woken by a convoy of bulldozers and lorries moving on to the site on September 4. A 71-year-old resident of Hordern Park said today: “We’re just enjoying the peace while it lasts.”
David Pattison, director of legal services at South Staffordshire Council, said: “We will be looking carefully at what powers we have in preventing them moving back on.”
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so they have gone travelling for work purposes i hope they declare their monies to the tax man
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Yes they have gone travelling for work purposes, no doubt to con the public, mainly pensioners, out of thousands of pounds for unecessary roofing work and woeful drive tarmac jobs. These travellers/gypsies whatever you like to call them are the scurge of society leaving mental misery and physical rubbish where ever they go.
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Perhaps if everyone wasn’t so against these people we wouldn’t have these awful attitudes. They don’t own houses…so what? niether do many whom live in the area and they aren’t labelled “the scurge of society”
Of course they are not all angels, give them a break and drop the prejudice. Everyoine moans that they leave rubbish…why not just give them bins and empty them like everyone else has?
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You miss one crucial point.
We pay tax to get our bins emptied.
Travellers cost us when they forcibly enter sites and leave rubbish behind.
Again, we (taxpayers) foot the bill.
How about, they pay their taxes and enjoy the same services as we expect. Or pay none and either clean up their mess, or create none in the first place.
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They can of course have bins and have them emptied. When they pay the council tax to pay the binmen to empty said bins. Not rocket science – everything has a cost, someone has to pay. IF you do pay – wonderful, if you don’t – please do not expect sympathy.
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you can allways put a few up with you, if you have a garden you might like to let them stay there
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Nice to see racism is still alive and well David Round. I’m not sure you’d be quite as quick to write about the ugly stereotypes that stick to Black or Asian people so why feel you can apply them to travellers and gypsies?
I’m sick to the back teeth of the public having a free for all on this subject when they’ve often experienced little to no problems with travellers or gypsies and then feel they have the right to get indignant over a newspaper article. If these people have bothered YOU, directly, in any way, then you have every right to get angry at this group of people – but please don’t use the fact that they are members of a particular community to do this. It’s archaic and narrow-minded. We’ll be back to burning people at the stake next.
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Maybe if these people stopped invading private property and leaving piles of rubbish everywhere people may show a bit more sympathy.
At the end of the day what positives do they contribute to society ?
I wonder how much it cost people in council tax per year to clear up the mess.
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As usual many of you are condemning these Gypsies for what you think they will do not for what they actually are doing.
Hexxen says they should stop invading private land. Pity he did not read the article. They OWN the land.
He says they leave rubbish. Can you see any on THEIR land?
David Round again writes of rubbish yet ignores the facts of them owning the land. He condemns them for conning pensioners yet has no facts.
Obviously the question of planning permission needs looking at and if laws are broken then the Gypsies like anyone else should be punished but they should not be punished just for BEING Gypsies
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Norman, Wake up and smell the coffee. I was referring to these people in general not just those in the article. Of course they are not going to dump rubbish on their own land !
So where do you think they dumped it Norman ? You are unbelievably Nieve.
Do you actually pay taxes ? Because I do, and Im sick of paying towards clearing up other peoples mess.
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Rachel,
I have to agree and disagree but also Hexxens comment is much an agree. I live in an area of Wednesfield Wolverhampton where Travellers set up camp. They caused neusence for all the residents that live on the estate, there kids being mouthy and dis -respectful causing vandelism to many people cars, leaving piles of rubbish behind which has to be cleared by the Local Authority which ultimatly costs us the tax payer money not to mention the animal they abondoned tied to a tree. These arent normal people who would be quiete if left alone they are animals who have nothing better to do than annoy local people who want to get on with there lives including me. Oh i forgot to mention breaking on to private land NOT OWNED BY THEM and causing crimal damage to Wolverhamtpton Swimming and Fitness centre a local authority partnership site which again costs the tax payer and users.
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Its not racisim its fact, wherever the travellers stop there is trouble, crime and rubbish. I do not hate them I hate what they do. I think it must be nice to travel around seeing this beautiful country and if they cleared up their mess and left the place clean and tidy and stayed away from other peoples property and not cause trouble I would not mind them by where I live. Unfortunately this is not the case. Respect is not a given right it has to be earned. If the travellers met people half way maybe they would get the respect they want and places to stay.
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It’s easy for Rachel to preach about how you should be more ‘tolerant’ because travellers are someone else’s problem.
Perhaps if they moved onto the lush fields at the back of her house and left behind bags of rubbish she might take a different view.
It’s easy to preach from your ivory tower Rachel.
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Out of interest Rachel – are travellers ‘a race’ as you suggest?
I would say not. So, how can you claim that people are being racist.
Why don’t you get out and debate the issue instead of decrying anyone you don’t agree with as ‘racists’.
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travellers and gypsies are officially classed as an ethnic group, therefore come under the updated race relations legislation. You may say they are not David, but legally they are…..
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RACISM!!
What a ridiculous thing to suggest!
It is not about racism, it’s about Cost to us as TAXPAYERS!! In a time where thousands of public sector workers face losing jobs, is it right for Local Council’s to have to fork out OUR money on Clean Up’s, Court Injunctions and a variety of other Expenses because Traveller’s do not wish to stay in one place, not pay tax and expect the same rights as everyone else who do contribute!
As JOE says at the start of these comments, I wonder how much TAX they pay on these work journeys, I wouldnt be surprised if they were also claiming a bunch of benefits from our Pathetic Benefits System.
If you are going to call someone a “Racist” Rachel, at least know the context of what you imply!
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perhaps the council could send the bill to rachel for costs incurred for removal & cleaning up i think she would have a different opinion then
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Maybe if the do – gooders like Rachel kept there thoughts where they belong, in there empty heads the country would be in a far better state than it is now.
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What these people do, which is pretty much what the hell they like, and the effect they have on the rest of compliant-society is detestible. Block the entrance to the field while they’re gone. Looking at the picture, is that one of their own tarmac jobs?
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