Fly-tipping travellers occupy seaside town and ‘dump nappies in sea'
Burnham-on-Sea, which has a population of around 20,000, saw 15 caravans arrive on July 13, causing 'significant anxiety' for residents.
Pensioner Chery Boley said the travellers 'threw nappies over into the sea' and said they had left 'tyres, fridges and human waste' near their campsite. 'It makes my blood boil,' she added. 'We live by the law. We have a caravan – if we parked it here, we'd be kicked out immediately.'
Nine caravans are currently parked on the town's southern esplanade, with locals people saying vans had also come and gone during that time.
Pat Baldock, also retired, said: 'I'm not angry with them as people. I'm worried, when they get to stay as long as this, that it makes the area seem like an easy place to park up. Then they'll come every spring, every autumn, and think, ooh, look how easy it is to pitch up here.
'But I'm angry when they stay here and they tear up the gardens.'
'Havoc for all our small businesses'
There have been reports of 'in-fighting' at the encampment. One local, speaking anonymously, said that he understood 'the families had a fight' recently, saying that there was a 'car with its whole windscreen smashed up' and that everyone in the area had been 'watching it from the local pub'.
The arrival of the travellers coincides with the start of the summer holidays, when many holidaymakers are expected to flock to the area.
It has caused significant concern for local businesses. A representative of Burnham's tourist information centre said: 'I've been working here for 14 years, and it's definitely getting worse. They're coming more often, staying longer, and it's havoc for all our small businesses.'
Ashley Fox, the local Conservative MP, accused Liberal Democrat-run Somerset council of being 'too slow' to remove the travellers.
'People in Burnham are rightly frustrated,' he said. 'These incidents keep happening, and too often the response from the council is far too slow. Our local traders rely on the summer season to make a living, and they deserve better than this.'
Locals say they had been told the caravans will be 'moved on' on Saturday. Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts, Somerset council's cabinet member for communities, said the authority shared 'people's frustration regarding the process' and that the council issued a notice to leave 'at the earliest opportunity after relevant forms are completed'.
The earliest available date local magistrates could hear the council's plea for a removal order was July 25. If that motion is accepted, the court will then allow the local authority to tell the travellers to leave. If they do not then do so, bailiffs may be required to move them on.
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