Travellers are given 24 hours to move from Clifton Village green - Nottingham

From the Nottingham Post

A GROUP of Travellers who have set up camp in Clifton Village have been told they must leave today.

The travellers, who also settled on the same site last year, are believed to have arrived on the village green, off Village Road, on Wednesday. Nottingham City Council told the group to move within 24 hours on Thursday afternoon and is planning to check this has happened this morning.

The arrival has sparked anger among Clifton Village residents.

William Joss, 46, said: "This annoys everyone in the village.

"I most certainly welcome the council's move to give them an ultimatum. I hope they will stick to it.

"They're blocking the pathway to the main road and to the village hall, which means no one in a wheelchair or elderly people will be able to get to the hall or out of the village."

Ruth Nettleship, 67, said she was fed up with the situation.

"They are blocking the pathway, which is the only pavement between the village and the main road, Clifton Lane. "People will have to walk in the middle of the road, which is not very safe.

"And people's walking sticks would disappear in the muddy grass with all this rain."

Jean Bird, 82, of Village Road, said: "I am not happy about this, especially because they are blocking the pathway from the village into the city.

"But I have a sneaking sympathy for them sometimes."

Mike Ashton, 76, who also lives in Village Road, described the travellers as "inconsiderate" and "thoughtless". He added: "I am very concerned about the problem with access to the hall and the main road, especially because users of the day-care centre for people with learning disabilities in Summerwood Lane, Clifton, use the village hall every Monday.

"Many of them are in a wheelchair and it will be problematic for them to access the hall.

"And this is not the first time they have settled there.

One middle-aged woman, who is part of the Travellers' group, said: "We are Irish travelling people and we are doing nothing wrong. We always clean up after ourselves."

A spokesman for the city council, which is responsible for the village green, said the authority had given the Travellers 24 hours to leave.

"This is standard procedure," the spokesman added. "They have 24 hours to leave, then we will return to see if they have, and if they haven't we will go to court to get an eviction notice."