Travellers left rubbish piled in play park
Travellers who blighted the lives of residents for more than a fortnight in defiance of a court order moved on — leaving piles of rubbish, including human waste, behind.
They finally quit Newark’s Lincoln Road play park on Monday.
During their stay there were as many as eight caravans on the park, towed by Jaguar and Mercedes cars and Transit vans.
The park, accessed off Cedar Avenue, is popular with children and families. People living nearby say it took too long to move the Travellers.
One described the mess left behind as horrendous.
Newark and Sherwood District Council secured a common law court order to remove the group on May 19.
A small number of police and bailiffs attended at 2pm the following day to enforce it but the Travellers refused to leave.
The council, which admits it had been a challenging time for nearby residents, blamed a lack of police resources for the failure to remove the group sooner.
It returned to Nottingham County Court on Monday for a possession order for the land, which carries greater powers of eviction.
The Travellers left after the possession order was served later that day.
Among the rubbish they left was human excrement and toilet paper around the park boundaries.
There was a smashed car windscreen, a tyre, gas bottle, clothing, shoes, bedding, plastics, smashed glass, empty beer bottles and cans, food waste and packaging, and toys.
The East Notts Traveller Association said what happened was not representative of the wider Gypsy and Traveller community.
A council team cleared the site on Tuesday.
A resident who took pictures of the mess said she would send them to the council and police to shame them.
“It’s disgusting what the Travellers have done,” she said.
“I’ve never seen that amount of mess and, as taxpayers, we will have to foot the bill to clear it up.”
The resident said the Travellers should have been moved on much sooner.
“They were on that field nearly three weeks,” she said.
“The authorities should be utterly ashamed of themselves for allowing it.
“It was like them saying ‘we’re having this site, making it a no-go area, and there’s nothing you can do about it.’
“It is a children’s playground yet the children couldn’t use it because every day there was washing hung out on the equipment.
“The field was used as a race track. They were dismantling cars on there. There was
broken glass on the field. There was human excrement and toilet paper everywhere.
“If I had taken a car I would have been arrested immediately. If I had gone on there and dumped even a fraction of that rubbish, I would have been prosecuted for fly-tipping.
“Someone has got to stand up for the residents.”
Another resident said: “The council were quick to clear up but it took two or three lorries and many trips. It was horrendous.
“I don’t know how many thousands of pounds the clear-up cost — much more than the cost of a proper gate and lock.
“They should have gone sooner. I know the police were caught up with the Manchester terror incident but it was a case of those particular Travellers sticking two fingers up to the authorities — one law for one and another for everyone else.”
'More could have been done and sooner'
The area’s district councillor, Mrs Gill Dawn, said: “I am delighted the field is now clear and relieved for the residents there. I hope that in the future the police will be more co-operative when we need them.
“More could have been done and sooner. They could have been gone within a day if we had the backing.”
A council spokesman said: “The district council, on behalf of the Gilstrap Trust that owns the site, on Monday successfully obtained an order for possession of the land at Nottingham County Court and the unauthorised encampment was ordered to leave the site immediately.
“The group that was illegally camped has now left and the site has been secured, cleaned and thoroughly cleared of debris.
“We regret that earlier, despite our best efforts to secure their speedy removal, this group continued to camp illegally.
“Costs have been involved in terms of the legal process and the clear-up operation.
“We recognise the last two weeks have been challenging for residents in that area.
“We constantly look to minimise the risk of illegal encampments on all of our sites and we will be reviewing security of this site. Currently vehicular access to the field is restricted by a metal gate, which is kept padlocked.
“However, security of the site has to be seen in the context of allowing continued public access to the play area for local residents and the need to retain vehicular access so that grounds maintenance can be carried out.”
'It gives non-Gypsy people ammunition against the community'
Nottinghamshire Police said: “We have supported the council throughout this process in its objectives to regain possession of the land.
“We understand the group was issued with a land possession order from Nottingham County Court on Monday and left of its own volition.
“Enforcement is one of a range of legal options available that has to be considered among other factors in conjunction with our partner agencies.”
The force declined to comment on resource levels.
A spokesman for the East Notts Traveller Association said she was aware of the occupation.
“Actions such as these undermine everything we try to do to promote integration and the reputation of the Gypsy and Traveller people,” she said.
“It gives non-Gypsy people, who want it, ammunition against the community. The vast majority would not cause any issue like that.
“The key here is that if there were enough sites in each county it would not happen.
“People would be able to see that Gypsies and Travellers pay their taxes and don’t dodge them — and it would stop race-hate and build understanding.
“This incident was unusual.”