Gypsy deterrents 'do not work' - Sutton Council - London

From This Is Local London

The council has admitted measures to prevent Travellers getting onto the borough's open spaces are failing.

Sutton Council says it will continue to use its legal powers to remove Gypsies from public spaces and will direct them to its static caravan site in Woodmansterne Lane but says deterrents including locked gates and mounds of earth have not stopped illegal camps being set up around the borough.

A leaked email from Sutton Council's head of parks and highways Mark Dalzell says: "I am not convinced that spending money on bunds [mounds of earth] or bollards is actually going to stop this happening.

"We built bunds at Beddington Park paddocks area last year, but this spring the Travellers simply cut the lock of the barrier and entered the site again. We also built a huge bund along the boundary with Croydon on Hannibal Playing Fields last year and that hasn’t worked either, as the Travellers have twice dug through it and crossed onto Croydon’s land.

"I would recommend therefore that for now, we rely on legal arrangements to deal with incursions as quickly and fairly as we can."

Mr Dalzell also said bunds are expensive to maintain as normal lawnmowers cannot be used on them.
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The council declined to comment on whether there are any plans to build more permanent space for Travellers in the borough but said it will continue to use bailiff's warrants to move them on from illegal camps.

Councillor Jayne McCoy, chairwoman of the housing, economy and business committee, said: "The problem of unauthorised encampments has been a challenge in our borough for a long time now and we have tried numerous ways to prevent them. However, if groups are determined to gain entry very little can be done to stop this without making our parks look like fortresses.

"When Travellers do gain access, our teams act swiftly, in line with our legal obligations, to move them on - usually within three days."

Recently Travellers have invaded Roundshaw Park and Beddington Park, in each case staying for several days and leaving considerable mess behind