Travellers face another eviction - Lincolnshire

From the Grimsby Telegraph

COUNCIL chiefs have vowed to evict a group of Travellers who have moved yet again.

Having camped on Cleethorpes Country Park, off Humberston Road, for two days, the travelling community moved to the rear of Cleethorpes Business Centre on Wilton Road industrial estate.

A court order was obtained yesterday at Grimsby Magistrates' Court by the council giving the group a direction to leave.

It will give the Travellers the choice of driving off or facing a court summons next week.

The four caravans accommodating 17 people in three separate families moved in on Thursday night.

Earlier in the month they had moved from Taylor's Avenue, to New Waltham, to Holton-le-Clay and then to Cleethorpes Country Park.

Humberside Police have twice sent officers to talk to the Travellers and North East Lincolnshire Council officials have carried out welfare checks and have provided wheelie bins for the Wilton Road site.

Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, Councillor Chris Shaw said: "The law allows the council to move people on when they set up camp on land without permission. A direction-to-leave notice is due to be delivered today. This is the most effective legal course of action available to us."

One of the Travellers, Mary Smith, 40, said: "The police have no complaints and we already know a lot of the people working in the factories on the business park.

"If the council could find us somewhere we would pay rent."

She said she was not expecting any more Travellers to join their camp.

Mrs Smith said: "It is nice in the Cleethorpes area. When we go to the shops people are pleasant. You feel you are not being judged.

"There is good and bad in every travelling community. You can't judge us on what others have done. We are not all the same."

She said fellow Travellers will continue to offer services in car sales, scrap metal and tree surgery to residents and businesses in the area, and added that they had cleared up after themselves after leaving the country park.

Owner of a nearby cafe, who did not want to be named, said: "It has brought some trade in, so that's a help."

Another trader said: "It is council land so they should be moved on as soon as possible. These are business premises, not a campsite.

"There are all these open fields around but they have come here. People park their cars around here but they don't feel safe."