Dorset seeking Travellers' sites

They are high on the government's agenda and firmly in the public eye, following the clearance of Dale Farm in Essex. Now the subject of Gypsy and Traveller sites is causing controversy in Dorset.

There are currently five permanent legal Traveller encampments in the county while about 100 locations are being looked at as potential sites.However, councillors and local residents feel many of the proposed locations are unsuitable Joseph P Jones, spokesman for the Gypsy Council, said members of the travelling community had been part of society for hundreds of years.He added: "I can't understand why there is so much opposition, we belong here - we're not new arrivals."