Traveller clean up cost £550 (From Warrington Guardian)

Traveller clean up cost £550

3:00pm Thursday 1st November 2012 in News

ANGRY residents have been criticising the council after travellers set up camp on Silver Lane, Risley, for the second time in five months.

A court order secured by Warrington Borough Council last week meant the travellers were forced to leave the land again over the weekend leading to £550 worth of clean up costs.

Homeowners are now calling on council officials and the police to do more to prevent the same problem from happening again rather than ‘wasting council taxpayers’ money’ repeatedly evicting travellers.

Nearby resident David Brooks said: “I’m disappointed at the complete lack of positive action taken by any agency with regard to the travellers who have been undertaking this behaviour several times every year for at least the past 12 years.

“There were more than 35 caravans parked on the public footpath completely blocking it and horseboxes parked all over Silver Lane making it totally impassable by vehicle.

“Warrington Borough Council seem happy to expend undoubtedly large amounts of council taxpayers’ funds cleaning up after the travellers when they seem oblivious to the fact that they could barrier Silver Lane off and if the travellers were prosecuted or moved by the police for obstruction then the council would not have to spend all of this money.”

Chief Inspector Jon Ward said the police are in a difficult position as the travellers have been setting up camp on private land and therefore they do not have the same power.

He added: “We have a gypsy/traveller liaison officer who gets to know the travellers and their intentions but another long term solution we would like to see would be to have a transit site like Halton does which we can direct travellers to for a short time before they move on.”

A spokesman said the council had always followed ‘correct legal procedures’ to evict travellers quickly and where possible, barriers have been installed on sites that have been vacated.

He addded: “The Silver Lane site is currently under review so we can identify any options that may be used to prevent this in the future.”