Travellers return to Red Hill Circle roundabout in Leicester

From the Leicester Mercury

A group of returning French Travellers have settled at their usual spot in the city.

Four caravans carrying the Gallic Travellers were spotted on the Red Hill Circle roundabout, Leicester, yesterday morning.

They been visiting the site for a number of years.

Carol Swift, who lives near the site, said: "They usually come for about a week. I'll be honest, I don't like it, but what can we do?"

Resident Diane Fernandez, 55, said: "It looks unsightly – who would want to look at a Travellers' site when they're coming into the city?"

But another resident, who asked not to be named, said: "If it's the French Travellers I've got no problem with them, when they left last year they put all their rubbish into black bags and left them tied up so the council could collect them."

Staff from the Leicestershire Multi-Agency Travellers' Unit (MATU) visited the site yesterday to carry out welfare and health checks before handing the Travellers a direction notice. The order means they have 24 hours to leave before they are evicted.

MATU spokesman Matt Bagley said: " The number of Travellers passing through Leicester is relatively low."