Wednesday, 2 May 2012

Travellers move onto Wolverhampton car park

From the Express and Star

Gypsies have moved on to a car park in Wolverhampton city centre.

The five caravans have parked up on the Faulkland Street car park, just off the Wolverhampton Ring Road.

Council officers at Wolverhampton City Council believe that it is the same group of French Travellers who set up camp in Wednesfield last year.

They have been ordered to leave the land by the end of the week.

The council’s head of regulatory services, Andy Jervis, said the council had not received any complaints so far but had already met with the Travellers. “We have advised them that they are acting illegally and that they must not cause any noise and must leave the site tidy,” he added.

Heath Town ward councillor Milkinder Jaspal said the caravans had appeared on the car park overnight from Friday to Saturday, and added that he had received a number of calls from concerned residents.

“We seem to get situations like this a lot,” he said. “The main problem is that they leave behind such a mess. That’s what gets people annoyed.

“It costs the council thousands of pounds to clear it up which could be better spent on other services. It’s not right and it’s not fair. This is a busy, well-used car park for people heading into the city centre. It is a concern.”

A total of £2,500 of taxpayers’ cash was spent on clearing a site in Wednesfield last May after nine caravans set up camp at the junction of Planetary Road and Wednesfield Way.

The council was forced to spend £735 on legal fees before the Travellers moved on in June. A total of £1,500 was spent securing the area.

Last summer, 17 caravans rolled up Cambridge Street, Heath Town. It cost more than £2,500 to clear the site and hire bailiffs to move them on.

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