Latest news with #travellingcommunity
News.com.au
06-08-2025
- News.com.au
Victory for farmers who used tractors to spray squatters with manure
French farmers who sprayed manure at squatters invading their land celebrated a major victory after a court ordered the intruders to be evicted. Agricultural workers from Le Syndicat, in the Hautes-Vosges region of eastern France, feared prosecution after they sprayed a mixture of faeces and water across their farmland to push out the invaders, as reported by The Sun. Astonishing footage showed the furious farmers using tractors to spray the slurry across their agricultural field where the caravans were parked. The squatters, who parked their campers illegally, were seen battling to stop the onslaught of stinking faeces as the tractors chased them down. The farmers said they were driven to breaking point after police refused to step in and remove the 'illegal gypsy camp' residing on their land. With harvest due in just a few weeks – and the squatters refusing to leave – they finally decided to take matters into their own hands. The farmers told The Sun that a judge on Wednesday ordered up to 500 members of a 'travelling community of gypsies' to evict the encampment. 'It is a major victory for us. A civil court decision went in our favour,' one of the farmers, Francois, 64, said. 'The travellers were told to move out within 24 hours, or else face police intervention and fines. 'Around 500 of them, travelling in about 200 caravans, all left.' Loic Madre, the man who shot the video, claimed the travellers moved onto the field – meant for animals to graze on – without permission. To the farmers' delight, France's Interior Ministry said tighter controls on travelling communities would be introduced in the autumn. 'These measures aim, in particular, to increase prison sentences for illegal settlement involving acts of destruction, degradation, or deterioration, and harm to the natural environment,' an Interior Ministry spokesperson said. 'Some 20 measures will be outlined in a legislative package that will be put to parliament in September.' Travellers parking their caravans in any field they come across is viewed as a major problem across Europe, including in Britain. The squatters at Hautes-Vosges fought back against the farmers, attacking the tractor drivers and forming human chains to try and hold them up. One man was filmed jumping onto a moving tractor and frantically knocking on the driver's window. 'The tractors almost knocked us over,' Olivier, the spokesperson for the Action Grand Passage Association, which campaigns for traveller rights, said. 'All we want is a place to stay for a few days, but these cowboys are stopping us.' Last year, a similar tactic was adopted by British farmer Jack Bellamy when he caught a camper on his land. Shocking footage showed an angry Mr Bellamy spotting the tent and saying, 'I tell you what, these ***** will set up anywhere.' He then jumped in his tractor and drove up alongside the trespasser, unleashing a 15-second blast of stinking slurry.
BBC News
05-08-2025
- General
- BBC News
Future of 800 year-old Brigg horse fair remains unclear
Visitors to an 800-year-old horse fair say it is important to keep the tradition alive amid uncertainty about the site's by the travelling community, the annual event, which took place earlier, is held on derelict land off Station Road in Brigg and regularly attracts thousands of current site has been home to the fair since the late 1990s, but North Lincolnshire Council said it had been reserved to build housing for older who travelled to the event with her young son, said people were starting to realise they had to support it otherwise they could lose it. She said: "We've got to fight for it." She added: "Everyone mixing, mingling, it's just a lovely atmosphere. It's a tradition just to keep going, really."Brigg is a lovely fair because it's quiet, everyone knows each other."It's a close-knit group that comes here all the time." Doug, who has been part of the fair for more than 30 years and sells horse harnesses, said if the event lost its home it would be a "loss" because he also relied on it for his said: "The tradition, once you start to lose these things they've gone forever."My grandad used to come to these and bring me along."Now, I feel it's the same. My boys aren't interested but my grandkids are, so we're carrying on the tradition of the family." The fair had already made way to new developments in Brigg a number of times and has been facing the prospect of finding another new home after the council approved its own planning application with conditions more than eight years ago to build 40 residential apartments, a commercial market and a new village who has been a regular at the fair for many years, said: "People gather that you don't get to see from one year to another. It's a very friendly little fair."It is pretty obvious that eventually that [the development] is going to happen."We would like to keep the fair going. I just like coming to Brigg because you meet nice people."If the council develops the land, he said one option could be to relocate to the town centre.A spokesperson for the council said it had no involvement with the organisation of the horse fair. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
The Sun
05-08-2025
- The Sun
Victory for farmers who sprayed travellers with manure in tractors as 500 squatters & 200 caravans FINALLY evicted
FRENCH farmers who sprayed manure at squatters invading their land celebrated a major victory after a court ordered the intruders to evict. Agricultural workers from the village of Hautes-Vosges in eastern France feared prosecution after they sprayed a mixture of faeces and water across their farmland to push out the invaders. 4 4 4 Astonishing footage showed the furious farmers using tractors to spray the slurry across their agricultural field where the caravans were parked. The squatters, who parked their campers illegally, were seen battling to stop the onslaught of stinking faeces as the tractors chased them down. The hardworking farmers said they were driven to the boiling point after cops refused to step in and remove the "illegal gypsy camp" residing on their land. With harvest due in just a few weeks - and the invaders refusing to leave - they finally decided to take matters into their own hands. The farmers told The Sun that a judge today ordered up to 500 members of a "travelling community of gypsies" to evict the encampment. François, 64, said: "It is a major victory for us. A civil court decision went in our favour. "The travellers were told to move out within 24 hours, or else face police intervention and fines. "Around 500 of them, travelling in about 200 caravans, all left." Loic Madre, the man who shot the video, claimed the travellers moved onto the field - meant for animals to graze on - without permission. To the farmers' delight, France's Interior Ministry said tighter controls on travelling communities would be introduced in the Autumn. Furious farmer caught a camper sleeping in his field and covered him in slurry An Interior Ministry spokesman said: "These measures aim, in particular, to increase prison sentences for illegal settlement involving acts of destruction, degradation, or deterioration, and harm to the natural environment." "Some 20 measures will be outlined in a legislative package that will be put to parliament in September." Travellers parking their caravans in any field they come across is viewed as a major problem across Europe, including in Britain. The squatters at Hautes-Vosges fought back against the farmers, attacking the tractor drivers and forming human chains to try and hold them up. One man was filmed jumping onto a moving tractor and frantically knocking on the driver's window. "The tractors almost knocked us over," said Olivier, spokesman for the Action Grand Passage association, which campaigns for traveller rights. "All we want is a place to stay for a few days, but these cowboys are stopping us," Olivier added. Last year, a similar tactic was adopted by Brit farmer Jack Bellamy when he caught a camper on his land. Shocking footage showed an angry Bellamy spotting the tent and saying: 'I tell you what, these ***** will set up anywhere.' He then jumped in his tractor and drove up alongside the trespasser, unleashing a 15-second blast of stinking slurry. 4
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Yahoo
Edinburgh community share airport 'birdstrike' fears over feckless fly tipping
An Edinburgh community has expressed their dismay after a 'travelling community' trashed a historical site with flytipped waste. Newbridge locals have been working alongside politicians and Edinburgh council to try to tackle the issue after a group decided to camp at Huly Hill Cairn which is a protected space. The standing stones in the area are believed to date back as far as 3,000 years which has led to the local authority fitting concrete blocks to try to stop the 'travellers' from returning. READ MORE: Edinburgh GP diagnosed with cancer after friend noticed he was sitting 'squint' on bike READ MORE: Speeding Edinburgh driver killed young father as he 'crossed road for a bus' It is understood 'travellers' visited the site twice during the month of July, with the last group departing on Saturday July 26. A Newbridge Resident Association member, who claimed human waste was also found at the site, shared their concerns over the issue of flytipping and even claimed seagulls were causing a nuisance to landing planes at Edinburgh Airport. 'The reason villagers were up in arms was because the travelling community decided to camp on a protected 3000 year old Historical Monument with standing stones,' he said. 'They dumped their household and garden waste from jobs in the area which was taking it too far. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. 'We had a very well attended public meeting in the local bowling club and three local councillors and Christine Jardine were present and they all seemed to understand our concerns. We then had concerns about seagulls and rats congregating in the area looking for food waste left behind. 'We had to contact Edinburgh Airport as the seagulls were flying directly in the flight path of landing aircraft. They sent representatives along to the area and confirmed it was a concern. 'The council laid large concrete blocks on a hopefully temporary basis to the entrances to the monument in the hope we do not get further encampments.' Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox The local added that although the council had attended to clear the waste which was attracting seagulls, several flytipped items remained in the area. Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: 'We cleared any illegally dumped waste from the site that would attract seagulls immediately when we were alerted to this issue last week. 'We're currently in the process of clearing the rest of the waste and this will be completed as soon as possible.' Edinburgh Airport have been approached for comment.
Sky News
09-06-2025
- Sky News
Appleby Horse Fair: Major traveller community event leaves fields littered with rubbish
A major gathering of the travelling community has left fields covered in rubbish and debris. Pictures and videos published of the aftermath of the Appleby Horse Fair showed litter, including plastic bags, unwanted furniture, empty crates, and cardboard boxes strewn across the site in the east Cumbrian market town of Appleby-in-Westmoreland. On Monday, organisers published images of workers beginning to clean up. A handful of vehicles, including caravans, were visible, and fields had been churned up by tyres and turned into muddy tracks where people had driven across the area. Westmorland and Furness Council said its statement will include "reactions to how this year's fair has gone and the efforts being made to ensure a swift and thorough clean-up. "Waste management and street cleaning teams operate in Appleby and the outlying areas throughout the fair, including during this final phase," the council's communications and engagement manager, John Everingham said. A burnt-out white Ford transit van could also be seen following a fire on the Trade Field shortly before noon on Saturday, which police said they were not treating as suspicious. Cumbria Police said they attended, with firefighters and "crews extinguishing the fire - which did not spread beyond the vehicle - by midday". No one was injured, the force said. Pictures and videos published online over the weekend showed the van in flames. The fair is a week-long "annual gathering of Gypsies and Travellers in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland" in early June, which draws around 10,000 Gypsies and Travellers and more than 30,000 other visitors, the event's official website said. The fair incorporates a range of activities, including horse riding, horse trading, storytelling, and traditional music and dance. Temporary litter bins are provided during the fair. Around 30 arrests were made before the fair began, police said, mostly for road offences. Appleby-in-Westmoreland is located between the Lake District National Park and the North Pennines and had a registered population of a little over 3,000 at the 2011 census.
