Travellers move on to Council land in Handforth

The travellers who moved on from Carnival Field last week are now camped on land to the rear of Total Fitness in Handforth.

The same group that spent nearly two weeks on Carnival Field, having previously taken over fields adjacent to the A34 Wilmslow bypass for two weeks, have now based themselves on Council owned land near Dairy House Lane, which is just within the Cheshire East border.

A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council said: "The Council is aware of a group of Travellers, consisting of 15 caravans that are based on land off Dairy House Lane.

"Council officers have visited the site and we are now moving forward with the legal process to secure possession of the site."

This group of travellers left Carnival Field strewn with rubbish, rubble, tarmac, tree cuttings and the shell of an old caravan when they departed on Monday, 15th July.

The caravan and general rubbish was removed last week and the Council's streetscape team returned to the field this week to start removing the rubble, tarmac and tree debris.

The photos above show the piles of rubble, tarmac and paving slabs which still remain on Carnival Field.

Wesley Hutton, Team Leader at Cheshire East Council, said "We have already removed three caged transits full of litter, the rest will hopefully be removed this week when the wagon is available."

The costs for clearing up after this group of travellers now exceeds £10,000 for the past month - £8000 of which was paid by Wilmslow High School to clean up their fields.

Tags:
Cheshire East Council, Dairy House Lane, Total Fitness, Travellers, Wesley Hutton
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Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

James Russell
Thursday 25th July 2013 at 8:56 am
Theres one camped on the bus stop at the top of Knutsford Road now, police have been told and responded.
Guess what? Its not moved......
Surely its a public thoroughfare and should be towed?
Neil Matthews
Thursday 25th July 2013 at 9:10 am
If you were cynical you may think the 'travellers' are being a bit more joined up in their thinking than are the residents of Wilmslow. They are desperate to get a green belt site changed to allow one caravan and a permanent, brick built, 'day room' on said site. So desperate they have the man who got Dale Farm started to help and we again have to write to say 'no'.

The site can take many more caravans than the single one on the planning application. At the same time as this one family - not working with other travellers - is wearing us down with this application; it gets fewer objections each time they raise another appeal - the travellers are desperate to find 'a home' in Wilmslow. Apparently Cheshire East are down on their provision of traveller pitches.

So the cynical may think this is a concerted effort - although appearing unconnected - to get the site approved on Moor Lane, which could then easily be over populated like Dale Farm.

There's a link on this site to raising an objection to the Moor Lane proposal; we need to have a concerted effort to show we don't think Wilmslow is a suitable place for a travellers' site and that Cheshire East has far more suitable places that aren't greenfield or public spaces.
James Russell
Thursday 25th July 2013 at 10:06 am
It "appeared" last night I called the police as soon as i noticed it.
I think if everyone complained to the relevant authorities and everyone refused their "services" then they would leave.
Neil Matthews
Thursday 25th July 2013 at 10:16 am
I agree James but there seems to be far more apathy from the town than the travellers. I went to a surgery with the new PCC and he's going to take up the lack of action with the Police; apparently I'll get a response in two weeks. As with the UTC chains debacle, it's down to the town to sort this. Despite their fine, official speak words on how they will change and be more for the town and forward thinking, the Council won't do anything. There also seems to be a huge vacuum in the law when it comes to travellers...
Mark Goldsmith
Thursday 25th July 2013 at 10:28 am
Wonder what our Key Stone Cops and Council will not bother doing next?

This is a farce.
Tom West
Thursday 25th July 2013 at 10:54 am
It is ridiculous to think that we could just 'let' the travellers set-up shop anywhere they want. there's no real space in for a "travelling community" in todays modern society, its an outdated social phenomenon. the reason the travellers keep coming back to wilmslow is because we're simply not strict enough with them.

why, when they have broken onto council property, littered, left dog dirt and countless other disgusting traces of evidence, have they not been prosecuted, driven out of cheshire east and removed from our lives once and for all. i am fed up with seeing pictures of the devestation left by the travellers, and its not just rubbish. i have followed (at a distance) one of the travellers on the bypass between Alderley Edge and Handforth Dean, and the vehicle was leaking some form of fluid; whether oil or coolant, this is an environmental, road safety problem.


Do the travellers even have motor insurance? I've tried to obtain motor insurance without a fixed address to investigate, but with no success.

do people not think that the travellers should either be made to clean up after themselves, or pay the school or the council the appropriate compensation. £8000 pays for a lot of books.
Warren Holt
Thursday 25th July 2013 at 11:00 am
Surely these council sites need muck spreading at this time of year and I am sure there are plenty of farmers who would be more than willing to assist.
Dave Cash
Thursday 25th July 2013 at 1:45 pm
CEC, not WTC, are currently responsible for evicting travellers from temp encampments on their (CEC) land. The question is why they cannot obtain an Injunction to prevent them de-camping to another temp site within the CEC locality.

I am told CEC have reimbursed the High School £8K for that particular clear

Neil may be correct, but any opposition to the Moor La application should refer only to inappropriate location, a permanent brick structure and hard-standings, development of green-belt. The Inspector should consider solely whether he would allow the application for ANY member of society. Once allowed, the site could be expanded.

CEC currently have no traveller sites in north east Cheshire, though plenty of scrub land to the east of Wilmslow bypass (currently earmarked for perm housing) The current local traveller movements could be seen as forcing CEC to provide a registered site in this region
Nikki Burgess
Thursday 25th July 2013 at 2:17 pm
Unfortunately too many people are using their 'services' for them to move on!! Where else are they getting all the rubbish from?. One neighbours 'cheap' driveway ends up costing us all to be cleared up.
Terry Roeves
Thursday 25th July 2013 at 6:36 pm
Always seems to take a minimum of 2 weeks. CEC and police are conned each year. There are no consequences. Damage, rubbish, effluent, sewage are left on public land with immunity. We are denied use and we pay for the clean up. They just move on, untouched. I see no economic benefit for their presence. I speak from experience, having employed travellers near Coventry for a number of years.
IMHO CEC has a hidden agenda. We will have to fight tooth and nail to prevent a permanent site hereabouts. Further correspondence with our Councillors etc is needed.
Mark Goldsmith
Friday 26th July 2013 at 9:28 am
Terry

CEC & Police conned or just don't care?

It's probably too much trouble for them and hey it's only magic money - you know, the stuff that miraculously appears in their budgets year after year without fail.

Who actually in the council and Cheshire Police has responsibility for this issue though? Who is the head of the department that should be fixing this? We need to put pressure on these people as only when the residents become more trouble than the travellers will they actually do anything about it.

Look at Wilmslow TC - only when they got bombarded with complaints did they bother to reverse their decision to waste our money on gold chains.

It's a sad indictment, but many people in life, especially in the public sector, take the line of least resistance. At the moment that line goes straight through the taxpayers of this borough.
Toni Fox
Friday 26th July 2013 at 3:51 pm
I do wish people would stop referring to the land to the east of the A34 bypass adjacent to Total Fitness as scrubland.
It is a greenbelt site, full of flora and fauna and several ponds and copses. There is a plethora of wildlife to be found at any time of the year.
The area is regularly used by ramblers, bird watchers, joggers, mountain bikers, dog walkers and fishermen and has an airstrip used by Smithy Model Aircraft Club.
Several guided walks have been organised to raise awareness of this wonderful area, the first being held this Saturday, the 27th July.
Details of which can be found here http://bit.ly/13afofS
Neil Matthews
Friday 26th July 2013 at 6:22 pm
Some very interesting and valid points once again on this site. Is there anyway we can 'force' an urgent town meeting with WTC, CEC and the Police?

I'm sure there's merit in the view that the bodies that 'run things for us' will happily sleepwalk into this as long as it goes away and also that there maybe a concerted and planned effort by the travellers.

Should we end up with a permanent site in Wilmslow, it will do far more damage than the near purchase of regalia would have. We need to get the appropriate bodies to sit up and notice, now. It may also be worth getting our MP involved, although its not a pleasant photo opp at a school so he may pass.
Richard Minton
Friday 26th July 2013 at 9:25 pm
Wilmslow permanent Gypsy site [on Green Belt], look out , and act.

If you like what we have then please please object,

if this goes through it will be like letting a pack of Hyenas loose in a sheep field

Object on legit grounds, ie inappropriate development of Green Belt, no sewers,
access poor , pressure on schools , wildlife survey, jap knotweed, etc......

Also write to George Osbourne & Eric Pickles as well

Members of the public are invited to comment on the appeal, by sending letters in triplicate to the Secretary, Planning Inspectorate, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6PN.

Representations must be received by the deadline of 13th August and quote the appeal reference APP/R0660/A/13/2198596.

Further information can be found on the Cheshire East Council website, search using planning reference 12/4247M.
Toni Fox
Friday 26th July 2013 at 11:43 pm
All those interested may want to look at the following websites:

http://bit.ly/14iQ4A5

http://bit.ly/1e1HStT
Stuart Redgard
Saturday 27th July 2013 at 2:33 am
Inspector Sue Mills (The most Senior Uniformed Officer based at Wilmslow) spoke at the Wilmslow Town Council Community and Order Committee meeting held on Monday 15th July 2013. I was unimpressed with what she had to say about the travellers stay at Carnival Field. I was also unimpressed with what a Sargent from Wilmslow said to me about this issue when I had reason to speak.. I believe that both officers may have given misleading and incorrect advise to the committee and myself. I therefore referred both matters to the Police & Crime Commissioner and I received the following response from him today (Friday 26th July 2013).......

Dear Mr Redguard

Thank you for your email relating to the recent issue surrounding travellers in the Wilmslow area.

I am arranging discussions with the local police and Cheshire East Local Authority to find out how this situation could have been dealt with in a more appropriate and timely manner.

Once I have had those discussions, I will respond to you again.

Kind regards.
John Dwyer
Police & Crime Commissioner
Neil Matthews
Saturday 27th July 2013 at 9:35 am
Now it's becoming urgent I'd say...

http://bit.ly/15SXFYY
Gretchen Dyson
Saturday 27th July 2013 at 11:58 am
An article in the M.E.N. last week described G.M.P. evicting gypsies at Heaton Mersey Bowl, using a section 61 Unauthorized Encampment Notice giving them 24 hours to vacate. Police then attended the site at 5pm the next day to ensure they left.

Granted a special team would have to keep doing this in domino effect to eradicate gypsy encampments, but at least it works.
Nick Jones
Friday 23rd August 2013 at 2:02 pm
Guide to effective use of enforcement powers.......... please read at your leisure.......

http://bit.ly/14L4ekX

This document is intended for elected officials and ‘others’ in the community who have an
interest in how unauthorised camping by Gypsies and Travellers is managed It explains the
ways in which enforcement action can be made quicker, cheaper and more effective and
encourages joint protocols between the local authority, police and other relevant
agencies.
Mark Goldsmith
Friday 23rd August 2013 at 3:27 pm
@Nick Jones

Very interesting.

Of course Cheshire East will have to hire a consultant to read this for them and to recommend a course of action for them to ignore.

Maybe sometime next year they might set up a committee to discuss the problem. They can then form a working group to commission more expert reports, which should stop them actually doing anything about this for a few more years.

No wonder Eric Pickles holds so many of our councils in such contempt.