Travellers move on to shopping centre site - Peterborough

TRAVELLERS who had been staying at a car park in Werrington for more than a week are believed to have moved on to a shopping centre car park.

Bailiffs had warned families on Wednesday that they must move caravans on from the car park off Staniland Way, next to Werrington skatepark and a bowls club, after they failed to meet a deadline to leave on Tuesday.

The morning after they moved however, caravans were spotted parked outside Serpentine Green Shopping Centre, in Hampton.

City services provider Enterprise Peterborough is in the process of investigating whether it is the same group of travellers, who had previously set up a camp outside Peterborough Regional Pool.

Shopping centre managers at Serpentine Green were not available to comment.

Nonetheless, yesterday morning saw a clean-up operation in Werrington as Enterprise staff removed the mess left behind by the travellers.

The travellers will not incur a fee for staying in Werrington, however, as the car park does not charge vehicle owners.

A spokesman for Enterprise said: “Enterprise Peterborough’s cleansing crews who were in the area attended during the course of their normal duties and cleared refuse sacks left by the travellers.

“The area was also litter-picked as some of the sacks had unfortunately split.

“The car park was also swept by a road sweeper that was working in the area.”

The clean-up was followed by a site meeting at 1pm, in which the subject of stopping caravans from entering the car park came up after a 2.1-metre height restriction sign was left hanging off its hinges following the travellers’ arrival.

Werrington councillor John Fox, who was involved in the site meeting, said: “It seems that someone got on top of a van and unscrewed the sign.

“I think what is being discussed is putting the sign back by welding and super-gluing it, so if it is removed again it technically constitutes criminal damage.

“I think we could do with a rigid bar as well with a lock that can be opened by emergency services.

“But once again this shows the need in the city for a permanent transit site.”

An Enterprise spokeswoman confirmed that the overhead height restriction sign would be put back up today and said “measures would be taken” to prevent further encroachment.