Travellers new encampment - Sraffordshire

From the Burton Mail

TRAVELLERS have set up an encampment just yards away from a popular Burton leisure centre.

Sport fanatics were shocked yesterday morning when they arrived at the Meadowside Leisure Centre, off High Street, to be greeted by a collection of caravans and other vehicles.

It is believed that the itinerants had moved on in the in dead of night in an attempt to avoid detection.

Police and council officials are now working with NCP, who own the land where the group have set up camp, to try and remove them.

A spokesman for East Staffordshire Borough Council told the Mail: “Officers from the council visited the site and the encampment is on land leased to NCP car parks.

“The council will work with NCP car parks to ensure the land is vacated as soon as legally possible, however there is a legal process and a procedure to follow.”

This comes just months after another set of Travellers had to be moved on after they set up an illegal camp on the site of the former Bargates development.

More than 15 caravans and vehicles arrived on the land off High Street on April 1 and remained for several days.

Burton, which unlike neighbouring South Derbyshire, which has been plagued by illegal Traveller encampments in the past, has escaped relatively unscathed from a increase in illegal encampments.

This is the only the second time that Travellers have set up camp in the town since last summer.

On that occasion, four caravans and several cars mounted verges and took up car parking spaces at the car park adjacent to Burton Library and the Trent Washlands in June.

Despite being handed an enforcement notice, the Travellers remained on the site for four days.

The encampment was also raided by police following information concerning criminal activity.

The borough council, as part of a partnership with other similar bodies, is currently looking at spending £30,000 on assessing Gypsy and Traveller accommodation in the area.