More expense for the taxpayer as Travellers refuse to leave library -

From the Burton Mail

A GROUP of Travellers have refused to move from an illegal encampment next to Burton Library — forcing officials to take the matter to the courts.

The itinerants failed to meet a deadline to leave the car park adjacent to the library and the Trent Washlands by noon yesterday, after being served with enforcement notices by East Staffordshire Borough Council on Monday.

The authority has now taken the matter to the county court in order to evict the Travellers from the site — at an additional undisclosed cost to Burton’s council tax payers.

The council took the step after four caravans and several cars mounted verges and took up parking spaces during the early hours of Sunday.

A spokesman for the council told the Mail: “The Travellers were served notice by the council for them to move on by noon yesterday, otherwise we would take court proceedings.

“The Travellers are still there so the council will now take this matter to the county court.”

Originally, officers from the council revealed that although the Travellers would have to leave the illegal site, an alternative, temporary residence would be found for the group after concerns were highlighted about the welfare of certain individuals following a site visit.

The latest development comes after concerned library users contacted the Mail to say the group’s arrival had had a detrimental effect.

One regular visitor, who asked not to be named, said: “Their arrival has had a big impact at the library.

“The staff have had to lock one of the doors to the cafe and even had to lock the downstairs toilet due to misuse and the state it had been left in.

“What I don’t understand is how these people can get away with doing this while everyone else is made to suffer.” Others said they were staying away from the library and using other car parks until the travellers left.

As the Mail went to press, Staffordshire County Council, which runs the library, was unable to confirm the extent of measures taken at the facility following the arrival of the Travellers.