Gypsies spark anger after moving on to land in Blackheath - Birmingham

From the Birmingham Mail

A LEADING councillor has vowed to do all in her power to evict an illegal Traveller camp set up near the heart of a Sandwell town.

And Mary Docker has given extremely short shrift to allegations by the Gypsies that they have received ‘heavy-handed’ treatment after taking over the waste land.

Six caravans moved on to the local authority site, near Blackheath Trading Estate, on Sunday night.

Spokesman for the travellers Stephen Lockley, 33, told the Birmingham Mail they intended to stop for four or five days.

Cllr Docker, however, intends to ensure the unwelcome invasion is as brief as possible.

“I have no sympathy,” she said.

“These incidents have happened in Blackheath in the past and I have done everything in my power to have them removed for the benefit of residents and shopkeepers.

“They say there are not enough (legal) sites, but that does not give them the right to move in where they want.”

She added the Travellers can be moved on within days once an order has been made to evict them.

And Cllr Docker backed police action. “I am entirely confident the police would act within their remit to take appropriate action. “These people are breaking the law, after all.”

Mr Lockley, who moved from a Coventry site on to the land with wife Sheila and their two young children, described the situation as stressful.

Three police cars ‘welcomed’ the visitors shortly after their arrival, said Mr Lockley.

He added: “We’re not here by choice – we’ve got no option. We keep on getting moved on and it’s affecting the kids’ education.

“This is council land and it is up to the council to issue court proceedings. We are being treated like scum.”

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said the force had no record on file of police visiting the illegal camp and interviewing caravan owners