Action to block travellers’ camps in Hyndburn (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Action to block travellers’ camps in Hyndburn
5:00pm Wednesday 21st November 2012 in News
By Bill Jacobs, Local government reporter
HYNDBURN council is ready to spend thousands of pounds installing fences, and low walls, to prevent travellers’ caravans gaining access to the borough’s parks and green spaces.
Deputy leader Clare Pritchard revealed that the authority has a list of areas where the barriers will put up as its ruling cabinet authorised spending up to £30,000 sealing off the Bolton Avenue recreation ground, in Huncoat.
She said similar schemes involving low walls, or “bunding”, at Park Road, in Great Harwood, and fencing at Knuzden recreation ground, to stop unauthorised veh-icle access and traveller encampments had been a success.
Coun Pritchard said the ‘hit and miss’ fencing at Bolton Avenue, Huncoat, was therefore a good investment as staff costs to remove encampments can be between £3,000 and £6,000 a time.
She said the spending from the council’s ‘invest to save’ budget should put an end to regular problems in the area with illegal encampments, and secure the pitches at Huncoat United Junior FC on the recreation ground which had been subject to an illegal encampment this summer.
After complaints from residents and local MP Graham Jones, Hyndburn Council won a court order to remove the travellers.
Tory councillor Marlene Howarth backed the latest move in Huncoat, but asked: “Could we not use the ‘invest to save’ budget to put up barriers around other green spaces in Hyndburn which are subject to travellers’ encampments?”
Coun Pritchard said: “We do have a list of sites where we intend to put this fencing in the next few years as finance allows. This has proved very effective, but we are not talking about any one community. It is about preventing illegal access to our green spaces.”
The cabinet also approved landscaping the bunding walls at Park Road, Great Harwood, to further establish it as valuable open green space.
After the meeting Coun Pritchard declined to reveal the list of future sites for fencing or ‘bunding’ off.
She added that as well as the cost of taking legal action to move travellers, and enforce court orders, there were costs involved in clearing up litter and debris.
Comments(18)
2 for 5p
says...
5:51pm Wed 21 Nov 12
DalV AlucarD
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6:06pm Wed 21 Nov 12
useyourhead
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6:18pm Wed 21 Nov 12
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these are no longer travelling workers who follow the seasons and do whatever little odd jobs along the way to make a living, they are now akin to locusts who sweep through an area taking whatever they can with no social responsibility or respect for others and leaving rubbish and excrement behind.
SAS407
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6:22pm Wed 21 Nov 12
AnthonyUK
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6:33pm Wed 21 Nov 12
they steal,
they rip people off,
they lie,
they cheat,
they are abusive,
they leave a mess wherever they go,
they behave badly and think they are way above the law and can do what they like without consequence,
and they behave like animals.
shytalk
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7:02pm Wed 21 Nov 12
Elegant1
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7:10pm Wed 21 Nov 12
AnthonyUK wrote:This could be said of many other people too Anthony. I know these people do cause problems but like another post said "There are good and bad in any group of people". The bad ones get noticed and the good ones remain anonymous generally. The Council are being forced to spend moneys that could be better spent elsewhere.
SAS407 there is a growing resentment accross the UK by a good portion of the population towards travellers(and its not hard to see why)
they steal,
they rip people off,
they lie,
they cheat,
they are abusive,
they leave a mess wherever they go,
they behave badly and think they are way above the law and can do what they like without consequence,
and they behave like animals.
I am not sure that the cure will be attained by this decision but the Council can but try.
AnthonyUK
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7:19pm Wed 21 Nov 12
ste.g
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7:57pm Wed 21 Nov 12
mavrick
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7:59pm Wed 21 Nov 12
i know alot
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8:01pm Wed 21 Nov 12
AnthonyUK wrote:i do not agree,we are in2012 for godsake.these people should be treated fairly.they have as much right as any one else.they are only trying to make a honest living...how many pickups do you see driving round collecting scrap with hard working blokes trying to make ends meet.it is better than the people on the dole.give them a break for a change.the money would be better spent building a purpose built camp.i own farm land in baxenden and would be quite happy for them to use it.
these people deserve all the resentment they bring to residential and public areas and communities. People who threaten em and force them to leave are RIGHT. Good on hyndburn council!
AnthonyUK
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8:18pm Wed 21 Nov 12
i know alot
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8:29pm Wed 21 Nov 12
AnthonyUK wrote:way out of order........ most of the travellers are lawabiding people.its people like you who give them a bad name..
Why should lawabiding people leave them alone if they are causing problems I knowalot? People just dont want them full stop. If I had farmland and they came on it if they refused to leave then I would do what a farmer did in cheshire and bring up the tractor and slurryspreader with engine on FULL REV threaten to spread em with slurry! Those travellers woke up packed up and left with ultra lightning speed frightened of the outcome. Serves em right!
AnthonyUK
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8:44pm Wed 21 Nov 12
ste.g
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9:22pm Wed 21 Nov 12
mavrick wrote:lets build it next door to you then or ould you rather someone else had that problem
The money might be better spent providing a permanent site, The problems of travellers are not going to go away. A new approach is needed. The travelling way of life is coming to an end.A permanent site would make the problem easier to manage.
ste.g
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9:25pm Wed 21 Nov 12
i know alot wrote:i know a lot.........you know fa. you are either a wind up merchant or a poor deluded soul
AnthonyUK wrote:i do not agree,we are in2012 for godsake.these people should be treated fairly.they have as much right as any one else.they are only trying to make a honest living...how many pickups do you see driving round collecting scrap with hard working blokes trying to make ends meet.it is better than the people on the dole.give them a break for a change.the money would be better spent building a purpose built camp.i own farm land in baxenden and would be quite happy for them to use it.
these people deserve all the resentment they bring to residential and public areas and communities. People who threaten em and force them to leave are RIGHT. Good on hyndburn council!
Jerzei Balowski
says...
8:47am Thu 22 Nov 12
i know alot wrote:Yes, I agree, there should be a purpose built "camp" for them. Just not the sort of camp you have in mind.
AnthonyUK wrote: these people deserve all the resentment they bring to residential and public areas and communities. People who threaten em and force them to leave are RIGHT. Good on hyndburn council!i do not agree,we are in2012 for godsake.these people should be treated fairly.they have as much right as any one else.they are only trying to make a honest living...how many pickups do you see driving round collecting scrap with hard working blokes trying to make ends meet.it is better than the people on the dole.give them a break for a change.the money would be better spent building a purpose built camp.i own farm land in baxenden and would be quite happy for them to use it.
AnthonyUK says...
5:43pm Wed 21 Nov 12