Lisa seemed to know they would be allowed to stay a few weeks ago.

Good luck ,i hope you win the day,and put all the crays hill grasses and do gooders in there places..........

I hope everybody remembers this sell-out when council elections come up next time.
What part of the word 'illegal' don't they understand!
I presume this was a voted decision, how do we find out who voted which way?

THIS IS WHY I REFUSE TO PAY COUNCIL TAX!

Did anybody actually expect them to evict the travellers? Basildon Council actually doing what we pay them for? ha!

Basildon council yesterday.

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We already knew this was going to happen didn't we?

BDC You bunch of cowards ! Residents of Crays Hill unite & REFUSE to pay Council Tax - it only funds the so called 'Travellers', it's the only action that will get our message home to the spineless,useless council.

This sends a clear message to the people of Basildon. Do what you want the council will not enforce anything. We will now have the whole sorry charade again next spring. Has anyone looked into suing a councilor for failing to discharge their duties; there is a law there somewhere.

I'm afraid to say it, almost, but I'm beginning to believe that you are right Dave. It seems 'Office' is the goal, achieving anything for the voters whilst in office, secondary.
They work on the assumption that next week it will be old news and everyone will have 'moved on'.
Pompous or what!

So who should the people of Basildon have voted for, Dave. Would Labour or the Liberals have been any different?

Pam wrote:
So who should the people of Basildon have voted for, Dave. Would Labour or the Liberals have been any different?

I think Dave means BNP. Scary isn't it when people are so incensed that they feel that only political party that would address their concerns is the BNP. And, on a daily basis, circumstances are forcing a lot people to consider these options. The future appears bleak indeed!!

Why do the law breakers always get away with a slapped wrist as the punishment.
Yet refuse to pay the council tax and they will probably throw a murderer out of prison to find a cell for you.

I see that the unwashed-leftist pro-traveller brigade have yet to make a semi-coherent entry onto this forum.

Is this because they haven’t got out of their beds yet, or are they up at the post office cashing their Giro’s I wonder?

Let's have some indpendent politicians who canvass on this single issue. I don't think people will vote BNP but they will vote for stronger law and order and local issues. The main parties are so ridiculously out of touch with the people of this country it's a scandal.

what on earth is a flotsam :)

tina wrote:
what on earth is a flotsam :)

Refuse from a ship, found floating in the water.

ohhhh i know what you mean then ROBBIE; your a flotsam :)

The travellers don't do any harm, they are all very nice people. Some of you on this site are completely out of order and should be ashamed and pay your council tax !!

Mike wrote:
I see that the unwashed-leftist pro-traveller brigade have yet to make a semi-coherent entry onto this forum. Is this because they haven’t got out of their beds yet, or are they up at the post office cashing their Giro’s I wonder?

Just wondering, Mike, whether the posts going on about "thieving pikey scum" etc are considered coherent in your eyes?

By the way, there are no apostrophes in plurals. :)

Basildon Billy wrote:
THIS IS WHY I REFUSE TO PAY COUNCIL TAX! Did anybody actually expect them to evict the travellers? Basildon Council actually doing what we pay them for? ha!

Billy, if you don't want to pay tax, that's your choice. But you are breaking the law, and may face imprisonment. Just thought you should know.

Since you have taken such a stance, I don't expect to see accusatory posts from you on this site about how the travellers don't pay taxes, from now on. After all, that would be hypocrisy, wouldn't it?

Amid all this breast-beating about breaking the law, I was reminded of a recent report published by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies.

Researchers say that a third of us pay cash in hand to avoid tax; a third of us keep money when given too much change; one in five steals goods from work; one in ten of us doesn't pay the TV licence or disclose faults in goods that we sell second-hand; and many of us are guilty of inflating our insurance claims.

All of the above are illegal, and roughly on a level with flouting planning law - something which, again, is prevalent in the settled community.

Now I am not going to judge people who do these things - I don't, but I do break some other laws from time to time, such as speeding - but I am also reminded of the saying "let he who is without sin cast the first stone".

I would be extremely surprised, given the statistics, if every person who posted their outrage at laws being broken on this site was completely squeaky clean. And if they weren't, well that would be hypocrisy wouldn't it?

Just a thought.

Or... is it not really about the law? Is it something else, say perhaps ethnicity? It would explain the BNP posts at least.

Just a thought.

All travellers want to do is live a peaceful life , I am not a traveller, but a person with a bit of common sense ! unlike Basildon Billy , and Bill and Doug

Terry wrote:
All travellers want to do is live a peaceful life , I am not a traveller, but a person with a bit of common sense ! unlike Basildon Billy , and Bill and Doug

That's the first, and hopefully last, time I am lumped together with Basildon Billy! LOL

I suggest you read my posts again, Terry... on ALL the traveller threads. I think you'll find our views are closer than you realise.

tina wrote:
what on earth is a flotsam :)

floating rubbish.

walby wrote:

tina wrote: what on earth is a flotsam :)

floating rubbish.

It also means vagrant, destitute or penniless people.

Doug wrote:
Amid all this breast-beating about breaking the law, I was reminded of a recent report published by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. Researchers say that a third of us pay cash in hand to avoid tax; a third of us keep money when given too much change; one in five steals goods from work; one in ten of us doesn't pay the TV licence or disclose faults in goods that we sell second-hand; and many of us are guilty of inflating our insurance claims. All of the above are illegal, and roughly on a level with flouting planning law - something which, again, is prevalent in the settled community. Now I am not going to judge people who do these things - I don't, but I do break some other laws from time to time, such as speeding - but I am also reminded of the saying "let he who is without sin cast the first stone". I would be extremely surprised, given the statistics, if every person who posted their outrage at laws being broken on this site was completely squeaky clean. And if they weren't, well that would be hypocrisy wouldn't it? Just a thought. Or... is it not really about the law? Is it something else, say perhaps ethnicity? It would explain the BNP posts at least. Just a thought.

Bigot and anarchist.

Interesting name-calling Tony. Very adult.

Care to prove why I am a bigot and an anarchist? Clearly you can't argue against my points, so perhaps you could try to argue in favour of your own, no matter how puerile they may be.

Doug wrote:

walby wrote:

tina wrote: what on earth is a flotsam :)

floating rubbish.

It also means vagrant, destitute or penniless people.

quite right,but i used the word as floating rubbish .
if i had used it as one of the other meanings it most probably would have enhanced his status.

a commonsense approach by setting up proper campsites in one area .say Pitsea marshes with facilities and service charges would self regulate the number of travelling folk. The Watt Tyler park is awhit e elephant and could provide an excellent site.There is an alternative to BNP the UKIP party.Dedicated to bring back controls of our borders and restore repectability. Last item car boot sales people flock to the majority of goods for sle are stolen!So don.t visit.This way you will help to stamp out crime!

Lisa, where are you? Still at Dale Farm partying I suppose lol

surely these cant be the same travellers that basildon council has taken to court year after year and then just give up.
so all our council tax money has been wasted. maybe the travellers should park there vans outside downing street to see how many minutes it will take them to be evicted. i bet it wont take years and why dont travellers go to a holiday park and pay ground rent to the site as they will be able to take there own vans there.

Mark wrote:
Let\'s have some indpendent politicians who canvass on this single issue. I don\'t think people will vote BNP but they will vote for stronger law and order and local issues. The main parties are so ridiculously out of touch with the people of this country it\'s a scandal.

Already been done. I did it three times. Not independent but not BNP and not any of the others.
And no I am not opening up this subject again but I did stand for the people of Crays Hill.
They continue to vote in the Useless Tories.

When did you last see any comment from the Crouch Ward's two Tories?

People just don't listen.

Some discerning folk did but others just lazily voted for the same old same old.

Crays Hill cronyism or just plain idleness and lack of conviction.

Hello Kim,it's great to have you back.My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Anyway, I've washed my hands of it all now.

I still disagree totally with the wanton and wholesale bending of the law to suit minorities and will continue to object in the strongest possible terms.

However, my beloved Ted's death has superceded all of this petty village backbiting. Nothing any of those harpies says about me now will hurt.

After the last few weeks it won't even scratch the surface of my emotions.

Thankyou Melody. I am struggling with it all but I just have to get on with it.

As for the village harpies mentioned above, they know who they are.

Dave wrote:
You lot all voted for that Tory twit Baron and bought his line on being ‘tough on the Traveller’s’ and even went up to London for handshake’s and a nice bum-kissing session for the cameras. Were you all really that naive to actually believe that same old Tory-boy dribble? Well I guess so, because there he is sitting as an MP grinning from ear to ear, while in Crays Hill still remains Europe’s single biggest collection of cut-throats and criminals. I have absolutely no sympathy whatsoever for any of you. You had the opportunity at the last general election to vote into power people that would have made the government actually act! The selection of a right-wing representative would have scared the living stuffing out of the government and that site would have been shutdown by now. Liberal-Labour-Conse rvative are all just one big Party and collection of liars and sleaze merchants with their pensions and investments their only inspiration. You voted for it, you deserve it, and you got it!

Yes we did vote but the voting system does not work,,,if there are more than two people to vote for then the one with the most votes gets in,,but if you add the other votes together then it will allways add up to more,,therefor most people did not vote for the present council,,check
it out next time there is an election.

i have posted this on an earlier thread, but i am posting it again just to remind people what basildon council have given the residents of crays hill .For one group of 400 Travellers, anti-social behaviour seems the order of the day, says Lara Bradley

OTHER Travellers know them as "the millionaires". Each summer they set up camp in towns around the country, trading door-to-door and moving on only when forced to do so or when business dries up.

The brand-new, top-of-the-range cars and flash clothes indicate that this annual outing is highly profitable, but residents in the towns where they pull in say they feel "intimidated" and "under siege".

Currently dispersed among camps in Kinnegad, Co Westmeath, Monasterevin, Co Kildare, and Swords, Co Dublin, this troupe of wealthy Travellers has left a trail of resentment and recrimination in their wake as they move around the country.

They were moved on from Wexford last Monday morning following a number of violent incidents. Previously they had been forced to move on from Waterford after a nine-day stay and, before that, a security firm was called in to press them to leave Swords, in north Dublin.

They moved en masse to Kinnegad last Monday, but split into smaller groups on Friday. The group of around 400 Travellers originate from Rathkeale in Co Limerick, which has become well-known as the "Traveller capital of Ireland".

Forty-five per cent of the town's population now class themselves as Travellers. The Rathkeale Travellers are a wealthy trading group whose business interests extend across Europe.

The same surnames come up time and time again when Travellers across Ireland, Britain and northern Europe hit the headlines.

The "millionaires" run a sophisticated business network. Their main trade is in furniture imported from eastern Europe, though they also sell tools, generators and antiques. They set up temporary depots wherever they make their camp and delivery lorries follow them around.

One of the most common complaints about the group is that they take their customers' old furniture away and do not always dispose of it properly. Sofas and armchairs were found floating in the river after the group departed from Wexford last week and abandoned furniture had to be removed after their departure from Waterford.

Last Thursday four Travellers - two of whom gave Rathkeale addresses - were jailed in Belgium for their part in a cigarette-smuggling gang. In sentencing James Scannel, Daniel O'Brien, Danny Flynn and Richard O'Brien, the Belgian judge said the four were part of a larger group of 150 Travellers who were "not afraid to use violence and intimidation to force truck drivers to carry large amounts of tobacco to the UK".

The "millionaires" are highly mobile, and while some give addresses in Britain and the North they regard Rathkeale, Co Limerick, as home and return there in huge numbers each Christmas.

When 800 members of the group arrived in Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, last year residents threatened to withhold council tax payments in protest. Last week, angry residents launched a website www.middleenglandinr
evolt.co.uk to provide support to other communities across the UK feeling under siege and intimidated from the Travelling community.

Spokesman Terry Brownbill said: "There is a Mafia feel to this lot. The main men are directing families around Britain and Ireland. They have called us racist, but we lived happily with English Travellers for 40 years until the Irish ones forced them out. These guys are extremely aggressive, demanding and anti-social. They shout at staff in shops, block the traffic and allow 14-year-olds to drive big vans at high speeds.

"They are involved in a property scam here and have promised pitch battles if they are stopped." The Middle England in Revolt group plans to visit Rathkeale later this month to "confront" the Travelling community there.

Mr Brownbill said: "They live in Rathkeale yet claim they are Travellers and have the right to set up camp wherever they like. We want them to explain that to us."

Feelings were running just as high in Wexford and Kinnegad last week. Sixty-eight caravans arrived on reclaimed land at Ferrybank, Wexford, on Tuesday, June 1. An hotel opposite the encampment was forced to close that evening, holidaymakers in a nearby official campsite checked out, and the municipal swimming pool had to shut its doors after being deluged by Travellers wanting to use their shower facilities.

Locals also claim a nearby playground was used as an open-air toilet.

The Riverbank hotel opened two days later after a 24-hour Garda presence was put in place, but business 'The hotel opened two days later, after a 24-hour Garda presence was put in'

plummeted by 55 per cent on the same period last year.

Manager Colm Campbell said: "Our customers couldn't get near the area so we had to close. A couple of girls came over and said it was discrimination that we wouldn't serve them, but the hotel was closed to everyone at that stage. They said they would come again at night and break all the windows, but that was the only threat we received.

"They are travelling in such a large group that the Gardai can not physically impound so many vehicles. I don't regard these people as Travellers. They are traders and they give ordinary Travellers a bad name. They have been in Wexford at least 10 times in the past five years, but it is the sheer numbers that are intimidating.

"We had the law on our side and it wasn't enforced, but in fairness to the Gardai their hands were tied."

Pubs in Wexford closed for several nights or employed extra security to deal with the perceived threat. Some put up notices such as: "Happy Birthday Seamus. Invited only. Thank you."

A tense standoff ensued two days later. A security company surrounded the site and trenches were dug around the encampment to prevent more Traveller families moving in. At the height of the altercation 40 Gardai, an ambulance and a fire engine were positioned at the entrance to the encampment. Eggs and stones were thrown at locals, but the Travellers claimed they were being discriminated against.

One Traveller, who was among the group, said: "We mean no harm to anyone. We go about for a month a year doing our business. We don't look for trouble at all. People have no reason to feel frightened of us.

"It's only on the bank holiday we meet up in a big group. We're not begging in the street, but the pubs and shops all close down when we arrive. We got blamed in Wexford for trouble from bikers high on drugs and another group who didn't want to mix with us."

Last Sunday around 20 of the group arrived in Killinick village five miles from Wexford. They were served in Ye Olde Cooper's Inn, but the barman refused to continue service after a number of menus were allegedly thrown around the bar.

One witness said: "They said, 'You're not serving us because we're knackers'. Then they threatened to break up the pub and to smash a bottle over his head."

The group crossed the street to the Merry Elf where once again they were served, but again became boisterous, with some urinating against the outside of the pub wall. Gardai were called and the group moved on.

Their next stop was Ryan's pub in the village of Taghmon, which is home to five families of settled travellers. One local said: "They drank in the pub for about a couple of hours, which was very intimidating for everyone else.

"They came wanting a row. We are a very close-knit community and the settled Travellers are part of that."

By 11pm a fight involving pool cues and broken glasses had broken out outside the bar between the visiting and settled travellers. A window of the pub was broken.

Businessman Eric Fenlon said: "These are small village pubs. They aren't big town pubs with security men. What can the barmen do? If people arrive in the village we would expect them to behave themselves. That didn't happen."

The injured attended Wexford General Hospital at 2am, where another fracas began. Several were arrested.

A total of 32 members of the Travelling community were charged with offences during the week-long stay in Wexford. Just two out of 18 men appeared before New Ross District Court last week to face charges relating to disturbances, and bench warrants were issued for the arrest of the others.

The convoy eventually left Wexford last Monday and headed to Kinnegad, Co Westmeath, where their arrival heralded similar tensions. Irish Traveller Movement spokesman David Joyce said: "These families are not seen among travellers as aggressive. They are very successful and have all the trappings of wealth. They are travelling in a large group in response to trespass legislation - there is safety in numbers in terms of being prosecuted by Gardai. The legislation was introduced to deal with this, but actually has the opposite effect."

But councillor Pat McLoughlin claimed Kinnegad felt "under siege". He said: "People are very uncomfortable and the huge numbers are intimidating. It's not politically correct to say so, but there should be some kind of law to prevent such large convoys travelling around the country."

Independent councillor Robert Bagnall has employed security staff to guard his supermarket business. He said: "They have been highly abusive towards my staff, they are double-parking in the street and tearing around in vans at high speeds giving people the fingers.

"This lot are not Travellers, they are hooligans. There are arrest warrants out for them, so I don't understand why the army aren't sent in if necessary to get them out. They think they can flout the law and they threaten to get compensation off anyone who challenges them."

- Lara Bradley

that report is from the irish telegraph, writen by an irish reporter.
no one can call the reporter racist as is the norm for anyone who dares to speak against the illegal squatters .

We were fortunate enough to sell up and move from Crays Hill before all this nonsense started.

How sad to see that the house we once lived and that we sold for 3/4 million cannot get as much as a house in Craylands now.

All you outraged posters on here tonight who don't live in Crays Hill should be thankful that at least for another year you do not face the possible threat of those evicted families moving onto land next to you.

When they move they will not move far.

Oh and BNP? Don't make me laugh, what is their policy on affordable housing vs greenbelt?

How do they intend to enforce repatriation and reconcile that european law and human rights?

I've never met a BNP supporter that has any idea of the world of politics beyond immigration, and the issues and implications of the bile the spew.

This article is extremely misleading and should be corrected.

What has happened is that an application for a judicial review has been agreed by the High Court. It is then the practise that the Travellers representatives will seek an injunction preventing any further action by the Council until after the judicial review, this costs the taxpayer more legal fees. The same effect can be gained by the undertaking not to evict before the Judicial Review is heard.

The effect is to make no difference to the time of eviction, which cannot be until after the JR.

This Council is absolutely committed to dealing with these issues as quickly as the legal position permits.

I agree that delayed justice does no favours to anyone. The solution is in reforming the programming of High Court cases.

Malcolm Buckley
Leader Basildon Council

Wow thank you malcolm!
I know you must be a busy man with all those community centres you have to close.

Tell me are you coping with the fortnightly rubbish collections? Seen any rats around Chez Buckley lately?

Do you have to take your own rubbish to the tip every other week or do you have someone who does that for you?

very nice letter mr Malcolm Buckley but are you having a laugh with us get of your butt are get something done you said that you are absolutely committed the council should be committed to what???? talk is very very cheap all you do is talk and spend our taxs for what??? pls high court this and that very sad you lot at the council.and you do not want to do a thing like always all talk and no go

bored if you are reading go to our story x x :)

Terry wrote:
All travellers want to do is live a peaceful life , I am not a traveller, but a person with a bit of common sense ! unlike Basildon Billy , and Bill and Doug

Well why can't they do it like we ALL have to?

I have common sense, hense the reason I live by the laws of the land.

Oh and Bored and Tina, get a room lol!

Terry wrote:
All travellers want to do is live a peaceful life , I am not a traveller, but a person with a bit of common sense ! unlike Basildon Billy , and Bill and Doug

They do anything but live a peaceful life, if they lived a peaceful life they wouldnt be disliked so much would they?

c'mon, u boast about common sense but I havent seen u use any of it yet, if they just wanted to live a peaceful life why would the residents of a quiet village be so adamantly determined to get rid of them?

Steve w wrote:
BASILDON PEOPLE THE COUNCIL & MPS HAVE VOTED TO LET THEM STAY BUT WHAT ABOUT OUR RIGHTS HAS ANY ONE ASK US NO YOU SHOULD BE FLOGED & HANG & SHOT AT BAS COUNCIL

I would have thought that this should have been in English. Sadly, it isn't.

I bet this gets deleted...

Steve w wrote:
BASILDON PEOPLE THE COUNCIL & MPS HAVE VOTED TO LET THEM STAY BUT WHAT ABOUT OUR RIGHTS HAS ANY ONE ASK US NO YOU SHOULD BE FLOGED & HANG & SHOT AT BAS COUNCIL

Councillor Buckley has the decency to come on here and explain the real truth, but he gets shouted down by a shedload of bigots.

The likes of Gandy, Gridly, Billy and the rest of them have made me feel sympathetic to the travellers. It's people I couldn't give a rats about either way versus a bunch of racist scrotes.

Fred Freispracher wrote:

Steve w wrote: BASILDON PEOPLE THE COUNCIL & MPS HAVE VOTED TO LET THEM STAY BUT WHAT ABOUT OUR RIGHTS HAS ANY ONE ASK US NO YOU SHOULD BE FLOGED & HANG & SHOT AT BAS COUNCIL

Councillor Buckley has the decency to come on here and explain the real truth, but he gets shouted down by a shedload of bigots. The likes of Gandy, Gridly, Billy and the rest of them have made me feel sympathetic to the travellers. It's people I couldn't give a rats about either way versus a bunch of racist scrotes.

Are you for real???

Sympathetic to the travellers???

Fred Freispracher wrote:

Steve w wrote: BASILDON PEOPLE THE COUNCIL & MPS HAVE VOTED TO LET THEM STAY BUT WHAT ABOUT OUR RIGHTS HAS ANY ONE ASK US NO YOU SHOULD BE FLOGED & HANG & SHOT AT BAS COUNCIL

Councillor Buckley has the decency to come on here and explain the real truth, but he gets shouted down by a shedload of bigots. The likes of Gandy, Gridly, Billy and the rest of them have made me feel sympathetic to the travellers. It's people I couldn't give a rats about either way versus a bunch of racist scrotes.

Come to think of it ALL the stuff you write about is rubbish.

Your comments about missing Maddie were enough to put me off you!

Maybe the ECHO should find out under the freedom of information act, how much it has cost so far in legal aid.

Don't you have to pay back legal aid at some point? Does anyone know on here?

The money that lot have wasted this country is ridiculous. I came back from Ireland a few months ago, the locals were very friendly and they were curious as to what happened with their Irish travellers. They laughed when we told them about Dale Farm saying they know we are a soft touch over here and they are here to stay.

Ireland won't have them back, so why are we lumbered with them?

hi bored, no you dont have to pay legal aid back x x :)

Doug wrote:
Interesting name-calling Tony. Very adult. Care to prove why I am a bigot and an anarchist? Clearly you can't argue against my points, so perhaps you could try to argue in favour of your own, no matter how puerile they may be.

How is it name calling, you are obviously proud to be a bigot and an ancarchist otherwise you would not keep repeating the same purile rubbish.

How can you argue with a bigot, you will not listen to anybody else's point of view. You are an anarchist because you encourage people to break the law and you take great pride in it. Sorry I took so long to answer, but I do have other things to do, I have to work for a living.

you took exactly 3 mins since your last post, god thats a long time :)