Travellers move onto sports land - Bedfordshire

From Luton Today

TRAVELLERS have set up camp outside the Regional Sports Centre in Stopsley, much to the dismay of local residents.

The group of about ten caravans are believed to have arrived at 8am on Monday, when Travellers gained access to the centre, possibly via the tennis courts.

Witnesses said a member of staff from the sports centre tried unsuccessfully to stop them from entering.

A Stopsley resident, who did not wish to be named for fear of reprisals, said: “I was so shocked to see them – kids running around who should be at school, dogs everywhere. There’s no sanitary provision there so God knows what they are doing. Someone from the centre said they broke in via the tennis courts and he tried to stop them coming in but couldn’t.

“These people should be stopped. Laws should prevent these people from camping wherever they want. They are a blight and they are stopping people from using all of the recreation ground. The police don’t seem to care and the council don’t seem to care. It’s beyond belief.”

Bedfordshire Police said this is a matter for Luton Borough Council as it is council land.

Anthony Green wrote on the Bedfordshire Police Facebook page: “Where were the police units when a member of staff at Luton Regional Sports Centre was opposing a second group of travellers from entering the sports field? They took so long to arrive that the staff member was intimidated into letting them onto the field. We are now saddled with them and the local taxpayer will have to pick up the bill. I am sorry to say that it is a sad day.”

A council spokesperson said: “We are following our standard legal procedure for eviction and working with the police to ascertain precisely how all the Travellers gained access to the site.”