£6,000 cost of Travellers' three-day stay in Sevenoaks - Kent

From This Is Kent

TRAVELLERS who closed two Sevenoaks schools by camping in their car park have saddled parents and taxpayers with a £6,200 bill.

The price-tag for their three-night stay in Crampton's Road, Bat and Ball, includes clean-up costs, lost income and damaged property.

Sevenoaks Day Nursery – a charity – had to hire a skip to remove broken and soiled toys taken from the school's playground by Traveller children. It says the episode has cost an estimated £5,000.

The neighbouring Hollybush Montessori is £700 out of pocket through lost fees during the two days it had to close.

And Sevenoaks Town Council is down £500 in legal and clean-up costs – its refuse team had to shift four truck-loads of rubbish when the caravans moved on.

Mayor Richard Parry said the authority was now pulling a dossier together detailing the events of last week and the aftermath.

It will use the report as a basis to lobby both the Government and Europe for a rethink on the way illegal Traveller camps are tackled.

He said: "I'm very concerned that a small number of people were able to cause so much destruction and inconvenience and generally make life so unpleasant for residents, workers and visitors to Sevenoaks.

"If ordinary citizens behaved in such a manner they would be dealt with quickly. We must ensure that society's rules apply to everyone equally."

The first Travellers pulled two caravans into the car park on Sunday April 14.

Within two days, six more had pitched up.

Until that point, both schools had battled to stay open – despite their toys being taken, their parents verbally abused and rubbish dumped around the play areas.

But teachers pulled the plug on lessons and sent more than 50 under-fives home when a parent, who had been trying to protect his child from a dog that was roaming the camp, was threatened by an irate Traveller.

The next day, having followed a strict legal process, Sevenoaks Town Council was able to issue eviction notices on the camp, but five caravans had already slipped away.

The remaining three left last Wednesday evening – just 24 hours before bailiffs and police were due to evict them.

Delphine Bruch, from Hollybush Montessori said: "The council cleared rubbish from the site last Thursday and we reopened on Friday."

Sevenoaks Day Nursery parents and staff spent Thursday salvaging toys that had been taken and then abandoned by Traveller children.

"Most were too badly damaged or soiled to be saved," said mum Tara Douglas.

"But we've been inundated with offers of support and replacement toys.

"The public has been incredible.

"Sainsbury's in Otford Road has donated £50 of outdoor toys and is letting us use their lobby to collect donations and Active Kids Vouchers this Saturday.

"Cyclepods in Westerham has also offered help. And the town council says we can use the community centre for free for a fundraising quiz night in June.

"We'll be using some of the money we raise to improve security and hopefully prevent this sort of thing happening again."

Sevenoaks Town Council, which owns the car park, says it will now be installing height barriers to make the land inaccessible for caravans.