Travellers invade seaside town: Residents fury a amid reports of fighting, rubbish dumping and dirty nappies thrown in the sea

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

Residents in a popular seaside town have been left furious by a group of travellers that have 'taken over' the favoured destination.
Multiple caravans arrived on the seafront lawns in Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, on 13th July, and for nearly a fortnight have caused 'significant anxiety' and 'issues' for local residents.
The travellers have set up camp in a prominent site on the coastal resort, with 15 vehicles parked on the lawns on the South Esplanade near the Sailing Club.
While another 10 caravans and vehicles pitched up on the green at Priory Gardens on Tuesday afternoon.
Locals and holidaymakers have reported fighting, rubbish dumping and some have even seen dirty nappies being thrown into the sea.
Cheryl Boley, a retiree who has lived in the area for 60 years and walks past the occupied parking space every day and said since the travellers moved in she's seen, tyres, fridges and even faeces dumped along the once-beautiful seaside town.
Mr Boley, said: 'We are fuming every time this happens. It goes on three or four times every year.
'But what can you do? Weston-super-Mare has put in bollards to stop it, but that's so expensive.
'They leave rubbish behind, tyres, fridges. human waste.
'We've heard they threw nappies over into the sea - we didn't see it ourselves, but with what gets left behind sometimes, it wouldn't be surprising.
'It makes my blood boil. We live by the law. We have a caravan - if we parked it here, we'd be kicked out immediately.'
A retired man from Whitebridge, who sails with the local club opposite the camp said he has noticed a spike in vandalism because of infighting among the travellers and revealed he was shocked to see someone smashing a car windscreen.
He said: 'I gather the family's had a fight.
'There's a car with its whole windscreen smashed up, and they've parked another car to block it from being towed away.
'Everyone's been watching it from the local pub.'
An engineer who lives a mile from the site but takes his young son to play in the area, said the locals have come to expect it and revealed it happens every year.
The father-of-two: 'We've lived here the last seven, eight years. Every year they come, they take up somewhere new for a few weeks, they're moved on, they come back.
'I don't know their backgrounds, their history. But I don't think they should be taking up all the parking space, especially in the summer.
He added that he no longer feels safe in the town, adding: 'I've seen them letting dogs loose as well. Small dogs, luckily, but it doesn't feel safe - you never know.'
Pat Baldock, a retiree who drives in from East Huntspill for a walk in the area each morning, said: 'They come every year, but not usually for as long as this.
'I don't mind if they come for a night or two if they pay for parking on the roads - but it's illegal what they're doing here.
'I usually park right on that road where they're parked for my walk, and I pay for that. I live here, I want to help my local community.
'I'm not angry with them as people. But I'm angry when they stay here and they tear up the gardens.
The local confessed they were worried it will encourage others to pitch their caravans and ruin the local area, adding: '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.
'And it's lovely here, it's not quite someone's private back garden, is it? No wonder they want to be here.'
On Friday a total of nine caravans have remained parked up on the green space of Burnham-on-Sea's south esplanade since July 13 - but some vans have left and come during that time, locals say.
The trailers are parked opposite Burnham-on-Sea's motorboat and sailing club, and club members have been watching with interest what one member of the club called 'a family fight' that seems to have broken out amongst the travelling group.
Two of the several cars parked by the trailers, which locals walk past to reach the apex of the area's notable sea walk, have smashed windscreens.
Locals say they have been told the caravans are expected to be 'moved on' by Saturday.
But currently washing lines remain strung out in the sunshine and some members of the group seem to be using the beach's toilet and washing facilities a few hundred metres from the camp.
The delay in moving them on has been blasted by local MP Ashley Fox, who said the council's work to initiate legal proceedings had been 'slow.'
Mr Fox, has issued a strongly worded statement expressing concern over Somerset Council's handling of the unauthorised encampment.
'I'm extremely concerned by Somerset Council's slow response to yet unauthorised traveller encampment in Burnham-On-Sea,' says the MP Mr Fox.
'The group arrived on 13th July, yet I learned the Council won't even go before a judge to start the eviction process until 25th July. That's 12 days of delay and it's simply not acceptable.'
He adds: 'People in Burnham are rightly frustrated. 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.'
'Rather than striving to serve the public, Somerset Council give the impression of trying to get away with doing as little as possible. They are slow and unresponsive.'
Somerset Council's Lead Member for Communities, Housing Revenue Account, Culture and Equalities, Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts said: 'Our team, in collaboration with the police, acts at the earliest opportunity when an unauthorised encampment is reported and treats the matter with urgency to ensure the legal process is set in motion.
'However this is a nationally established procedure with the legal system at the centre, and just like any other local authority the Council has to work within the time frame prescribed by legislation and scheduling of the Courts.'
'After liaising with Police, the Council officer in charge of the operation issued a Formal Notice to Leave (Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 section. 77) on 15 July, at the earliest opportunity after relevant forms are completed.'
'The Council then listed its application to the Magistrates Court - the earliest date available for a hearing is 25 July. If the Council is successful, the Court will issue an Order to be served on the encampment.
'For any non-compliance with the Order, the Council will be required to engage with bailiffs to initiate eviction proceedings, this can add further delays before control of the land is again obtained.
'We share people's frustration regarding the process and we would be happy to liaise with the MP to lobby Government to work with the legal system on measures to allow these situations to be dealt with more quickly.'