Concern at number of fire alerts at Peterborough Travellers’ camp - Cambridgeshire

From the Peterborough Telegraph

Fire crews have attended an average of more than one incident a month for a year on land near a Travellers’ site in Peterborough.

Now a senior councillor is urging Peterborough City Council to take action to ensure fire crews lives are not put at risk and that scarce resources are not over-stretched.

Councillor David Harrington, who represents Newborough, has called for improved maintenance and surveillance at the camp in Norwood Lane, Paston.

His call comes after 12 tyres were torched outside the site last week - the 16th outbreak the fire service has attended in the Norwood Lane area since 1 June 2012.

Cllr Harrington said: “I have warned the council repeatedly that Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service resources are being unacceptably put under pressure by the lack of council work to keep the site cleared and the lack of surveillance measures which could be done at minimal cost.

“It is not right the fire service has to attend these fires and which stretches their already scarce resources, putting lives at risk.”

But Adrian Chapman, the council’s head of neighbourhoods, said: “Through Enterprise Peterborough we have carried out three full-scale clearance operations on Norwood Lane in 2013 so far. The last took place in the middle of May and the next is in the coming weeks.

“We have already used a range of surveillance techniques to enforce and prevent illegal fly-tipping but they only had limited success.

“We are now investigating new options for the site and would welcome suggestions from councillors and other interested parties.”

The fire service has also made clear they are aware of the issue.

Lynn Betteridge, fire service community risk manager for Peterborough, said: “Over the past months the fire service has carried out joint partnership work with the council and community cohesion teams as part of SaferPeterborough Partnership to reduce the number of calls we get to the Norwood Lane area.”