A group of travellers set up camp on land adjacent to Wilmslow High School and the A34 bypass last night.
This site was occupied by travellers for a couple of weeks in the summer. When they departed the travellers left piles of rubble and rubbish behind them, which cost thousands of pounds to clear up, before moving on to Carnival Field.
As you can see from the photo above, there is a gate to prevent entry to this field but the locks had been broken off, though the Council and police cannot be sure who did this.
These travellers have already moved on from the field near the high school, but they have not travelled far as the group have now set up camp just down the road in Handforth.
A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council said: "A group of Travellers, consisting of 12 caravans, arrived on land near Wilmslow High School last night.
"Council officers and police have visited the location. The police issued the Travellers with a section 61 order (of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994), requiring them to leave the site before the end of the day.
"Unfortunately the Travellers have now moved to the former Airpark site, next to Bhs and Tesco, in Handforth. Council officers have visited the location and we are now moving forward with the legal process to secure possession of the site."
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
To save Lisa work maybe we can agree she can just copy and paste this story every week as I suspect the inability of Cheshire East and the Police to fix this means it will just go on and on and on and... right up until they get their permanent site at the end of Moor Lane!
why does the need of the few outweigh the needs of the many?
a few travellers want a field to live in
many people who aren't travellers dont want to see travellers in their community.
actually, why don't we have a piece of local legislation, stating the maximum allowable number of travellers in wilmslow, with the maximum allowed being 0. it worked for the strip club.
I'd honestly rather us locals just joined up and went over to finish this issue, pitch forks & flaming torches style.
This is taken from a more proactive Council in the south of the Country:
----------------------------------
Where an unauthorised encampment is set up on a sensitive site such as an urban park, recreation ground, or a site of specific scientific interest:
A request would normally be made to the police to use their powers under Section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, requiring the Gypsies and Travellers to leave that site.
If pitches are available on a transit site, a request would be made for the police to use their powers under Section 62A of the Criminal Justice & Public Order Act 1994 to direct the Gypsies and Travellers to the transit site, or alternatively to leave the district.
Where an unauthorised encampment is set up on any other land owned by the local authority and which is not sensitive:
The council would initially offer pitches on the transit site to the Travellers and Gypsies if they are available or request a police direction to the transit site using Section 62A of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
Where insufficient pitches are available on the transit site:
The council would apply for a possession order, using Civil Procedure Rules, Part 55, in order to carry out an eviction.
If, subsequent to a Part 55 possession order process being put in place, criminal damage or anti social behaviour occurs at an unauthorised encampment, the council will request a police eviction using Section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
---------------------------
Clearly the Council and Police have powers to manage this much better than they do at present. Perhaps we should put pressure on WTC and CEC to come up with an authorised transit site asap, so the travellers have an authorised site to move to and can be very quickly moved on and if they refuse to move, they will be made to leave the whole of Cheshire East's area.
Travellers may not want to use these as they are charged rent for the pitches as well as being charged for any waste they leave on site. http://bit.ly/1binfKA
http://bit.ly/165ytBz
The European Convention of Human Rights impacts on all aspects of UK legislation, resultantly authorities / law enforcement need to appropriately 'consider'; the rights of others fairly.
So although local authority WTC CEC .Police etc ; consider traveller rights fairly, remember to likewise consider the rights of residents. From the many previous threads on this topic that quite clearly does not appear to be the case and the PCC is not in the least concerned.
Perhaps in considering the rights of residents as a temporary measure WTC CEC should allow the travellers to use the car parks at their own many offices / premises across the county. Although I suspect action to evict then would be significantly more swiftly enacted.
As the talking and inactivity continues the problem remains. Consider the legislation, consider common sense, consider residents and consider better use of legislation and common sense.
So...... when the Travellers re-emerge ( which undoubtedly they will do .. unless history ceases to repeat itself !! ) perhaps they should be sent to the nearest council / local authority building car park / office as a temporary measure.