Beddington company employs security guard after Travellers move in - London

From the Sutton Guardian

A business has had to employ a security guard at night after Travellers moved in next door to their lorry unit.

Industrial service providers, Hydro Cleansing, have experienced numerous problems since the Travellers arrived - including a colleague who was bitten by a dog and damage to their vehicles in the unit in Endeavour Way, Beddington.

The caravans first appeared on Wednesday last week but since then more have arrived bringing the total up to about 12.

Assistant to the managing director, Lawrance Butterworth, 52, from Haywards Heath, said: "The problems started [on Monday] after one of our guys got bitten by a dog and had to go to hospital for jabs. One of the guys’ cars got damaged yesterday

"There has been children running down the road and people urinating. There’s been human excrement, dog excrement and broken glass.

"We are having problems getting our trucks out and I witnessed a child running behind one of the trucks.

"We have had to employ a security guard. It is getting out of hand.

"What’s annoying is the inability of the local authority to do anything about it.

"For us, from a business point of view, we pay our business rates and the council don’t seem to want to take it seriously."

Tom Brake the MP for Carshalton and Wallington met with the company on Tuesday and said he was really concerned by how it had affected their business.

A spokesman for Sutton Council said they were working to ensure the Travellers were moved on as quickly as possible while meeting their safeguarding, welfare and legal obligations.

They added: “The council is required to make provision and respond to the needs of the travelling community but we recognise that some Traveller activities can cause concern to local residents.”