Travellers ordered off Cleethorpes land - Lincolnshire

From the Grimsby Telegraph

THE Travellers currently living in North East Lincolnshire were moved off council-owned land at Taylor's Avenue yesterday evening.

PCSOs from Humberside Police supported council officers while the Travellers were moved on at about 6pm.
It was where they originally pitched at when they arrived in the area a month ago, and were ordered off because they had contravened a notice which prevented them from going back to that area within three months.

The group was moved but not before shouting at council officers and, at the time of going to press, their destination was unknown but one Traveller told our reporter: "We don't know where (we're going) but you will find out soon enough.

"It's fun for us – they will get sick of moving us on but we won't; we're Travellers, this is what we do. We like tormenting them."

This latest activity came as a landowner claimed the cost of having the Travellers camp illegally on his land has escalated into thousands of pounds.

Boo Parkes is so determined to stop them he has dug a trench around the field off Humberston Road, Cleethorpes, to prevent access by vehicles.

As reported, the Travellers pitched up on his field earlier this week and moved to Taylor's Avenue on Wednesday night, having previously been on the Pyewipe Estate.

He vowed to continue hosting popular car boot sales there on Wednesdays and Saturdays, saying sellers and buyers experienced trouble.

He said: "I want to thank everyone who supported the car boot sale on Wednesday. I apologise to those who were harassed. There was lots of trouble with kids throwing rocks around.

"Some people who came to the sale were driven away by that behaviour, and people picking strawberries also reported suffering abuse.

"I have dug a trench so they can't get back on to the field. There is a guard with a JCB.

"The cost of them being on my land is running into thousands and there are solicitor's fees on top of that."

Councillor Keith Brookes (Con, Haverstoe) said: "A raised bund would have stopped them getting their caravans through.

"They have moved back on there yet again. I am very disappointed that the local authority did not act quickly enough.

"Why they couldn't put up a mound of earth across the track to stop them entering the site, I do not know.

"I would expect council staff to take immediate action in order to have them removed."

In support of the Travellers, Councillor Christina Miggiligan-Fell said North East Lincolnshire Council had a responsibility to provide an accommodation site.