SUMMER has arrived bringing with it the travellers.

Once again they are causing distress and expense to the inhabitants of Warrington.

For many years we have heard that the council is ‘looking’ for suitable land on which to build a permanent site to accommodate them.

Can I be very rude and say that the council are not actively looking, but are waiting for a suitable site to come onto the market.

This is never going to happen.

When a land owner is thinking of selling they contact developers who snap up the site for houses or warehouses.

All local authorities have the power to compulsory purchase land on which to build a travellers site.

Other local authorities, such as Halton and St Helens have sites.

In these boroughs the police have the power to force travellers to move onto the established site within 24 hours of their arrival.

However the travellers have to pay to stay on these sites.

Why pay when you can travel to Warrington and stay at no expense with portable toilets etc supplied free of charge by the council?

MALCOLM SWAISLAND Birchwood

IT is May so it must be time for travellers to descend on mass to Warrington.

Every year it is the same old story, caravans dotted around the town from parks to supermarkets and leisure centres to business parks. All of this at the cost of the taxpayers.

Clean ups (Victoria Park looked a right state last week) and legal bills, it all mounts up.

We get told time and again something will be done and a new transit site established.

But it never is.

And one wonders if there is any real appetite for change from councillors.

With two years until the next election, I wont hold my breath for any changes soon.

JAMES WILSON Orford