Travellers get free theme park tickets (From Echo)

Travellers get free theme park tickets

11:56am Thursday 14th June 2007 in News

TRAVELLERS who face eviction from the illegal Dale Farm site in Oak Lane, Crays Hill, have been given free passes to a theme park where they held a protest.

The residents, who could soon be kicked out from 11 plots at the site, protested outside the Diggerland adventure park in Strood, Kent, because the firm which runs it - HE Services - supplies machines that have been used for to evict travellers from illegal sites.

Travellers also wrote to boss Hugh Edeleanu to ask him not to supply machines for evictions.

In a reply, Mr Edeleanu said he sympathised with the travellers' plight, but would be unable to control the use of all diggers if hirers are involved with third parties, such as bailiffs, who carry out evictions.

He said: "I am sympathetic with the situation.

"I have spoken to our operations director who has voiced his support. He has asked me to pass on ten complimentary tickets."

Traveller campaigner Grattan Puxon, who organised the protest and was planning more demonstrations at other HE Services-run depots, said: "We thank him for the complimentary tickets which have been shared out among parents with special needs children, including the two teenagers who lost their parents in a tragic fire at Dale Farm two years ago.

"We have told Mr Edeleanu we hope we don't see any of his diggers in action again wrecking the homes of travellers."

Diggerland have four parks around the country where kids and adults can sit in and drive bulldozers and heavy plant machinery.

l Royal Mail has said it is in talks with travellers at Dale Farm about reinstating post if gas bottles are removed from the site.