Travellers leave city - Lancashire

From the Lancashire Evening Post

A group of Travellers who churned up a football pitch and left school playing fields covered in rubbish are believed to have left the city.

Around 12 caravans, cars and horses arrived on land by Archbishop Temple School in St Vincent’s Road, Fulwood, Preston, on Saturday, after initially attempting to camp at Moor Park.

Police attended the scene and spoke to the group, who agreed to leave the site by Monday morning.

They left the field on Sunday night and moved to Ribbleton Park, where they were met by police. The Travellers told officers they were leaving and headed in the direction of Garstang, but it is thought the same group then returned to the park, where a new makeshift campsite was set up.

Council staff visited the site and said action would be taken if the group did not leave.

Preston Council leader Peter Rankin said the authority intended to apply for a court order to have the Travellers moved along on Monday.

He said: “The way the playing field was left was a disgrace. We are trying to deal with this as fast as we can.”

However, a council spokesman told the Evening Post yesterday the group had left the site and moved out of Preston.

She said: “They left the site sometime between 5pm yesterday and 7.30 this morning.”

Coun Javed Iqbal, who represents St Matthew’s Ward, said council workers had handed out bin bags to the Travellers to try and “minimise rubbish”.

Fishwick councillor Martyn Rawlinson, who lives near the park, said the group had gone by 11pm on Monday.

He said: “It didn’t look that bad. I’ve seen Travellers leave places in worse states.

“Obviously they shouldn’t be on a public park but I understand their lifestyle too - they move around and they need somewhere to stop.”