St Edmundsbury Borough Council determined to stop Travellers returning to Haverhill - Suffolk

From the Haverhill Echo

Barriers will be erected to prevent Travellers from getting back on to a park off Bergamot Road in Haverhill.

Travellers pitched up on the park three times in the last two years, and now St Edmundsbury Borough Council is taking measures to ensure that they have been evicted for the last time.

The Murphy family had five caravans illegally on the site for a fortnight from August 28 to September 13 this year, when they were evicted by a court order. However, such an order lasts for 90 days, and the council is now determined to get work done in that time before they return.

Wooden fencing has been put back up in the gaps between the hedges the Travellers used to drive on to the field, but the council plans to install a barrier alongside the road to stop them staying between the hedges and the road as well.

Damien Parker, parks and cemeteries manager for the council, said: “Residents have been in touch to say it’s all very well what we have done there but there’s nothing to stop them getting on to the area in front of the hedging. What we have done will hopefully deter access to the field but it doesn’t secure the whole boundary, which is what we are being lobbied to look at.

“We’ve approached fencing contractors and are looking for quotes and once we have them will progress with a more robust scheme. We are looking at some defence bollards or fencing as a solution.

“We hope to get that sorted out within the three month life of the court order, so before the end of November or early December.”

When on the site, one of the Travellers, John Murphy, said: “We’ll just move out of here, spend two weeks on the move and be away for 90 days and then come back.”

Residents also raised questions while the Travellers were there about why police took no action against them for dismantling the existing barrier in the hedge gap to access the park.

Mr Murphy insisted they had not damaged a gate to access the park, saying: “There was no gate to stop us getting on here – they said they spent £3,500 to stop us getting on here but it’s no different this year than last year and before.”

Mr Parker said the criminal damage to the fence was reported to police.

“Maybe it wasn’t them. but it’s a real coincidence that it was taken down at the same time they were there,” he said.

“We hoped the barrier would be a deterrent, but clearly if people are that determined then it’s very difficult to stop them.

“Last time we didn’t just put up the wooden fence, but also the metal fence by the play area.”

Suffolk Police said no crime had been reported about damage to the fence.

“We take all reports of crime very seriously and act appropriately with the information we receive”, said a spokesman.

“We understand that this is a frustrating situation for residents.”

For all the latest news see Thursday’s (October 11) Echo.