Travellers move to Deeside leisure centre site - Flintshire

From the North Wales News

COUNCIL bosses are making a legal bid to evict Travellers camped on a leisure centre car park.

Half a dozen caravans have parked at the rear of Deeside Leisure Centre in Queensferry.

Flintshire County Council says it will go to court this week to remove the Travellers.

It is unclear exactly when the caravans moved on to land at the rear of the centre, which also has an ice-rink.

But staff and the public spotted them there on Saturday.

Last night the area’s Flintshire councillor said the authority was failing to provide enough pitches for Travellers.

Labour member Bernie Attridge, of Connah’s Quay Central ward, said the existing 70-member administration – a coalition of Independents, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats – should have allocated space for new arrivals on designated, council land.

He said he had already been calling for the 30 pitches at the official Queensferry Travellers’ site to be extended by “70 or 80” more, with proper facilities so any new Travellers could be moved straight on to them.

Now, he says, the council faces an “expensive and lengthy” legal process to seek an injunction and possibly to find bailiffs to move them on if they don’t move voluntarily.

He said Flintshire County Council cannot “bury its head in the sand” over the issue of travellers.

But Flintshire County Council deputy leader Cllr Tony Sharps hit back.

The Independent member said: “We will have to take proceedings against them (the Travellers) for their removal.”

He said that the official Queensferry site could not be extended because it is near the Aston Hill improvements.

He added the local authority has already been trying to find extra space.

He said: “We have been on the case for some time.

“Talks have been going on with the Welsh Assembly Government as regards new access in the Queensferry area.

“It’s just unfortunate that they have decided to trespass next to the finest leisure centre in the UK.”