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Travellers to protest again amid eviction threat

3:00pm Thursday 6th August 2009 in


TRAVELLERS facing eviction will protest outside Basildon Council’s headquarters.

Scores of mothers and children from the Crays Hill camp will be joined by local supporters, carrying banners, outside the Basildon Centre, in St Martin’s Square, on Monday.

They will demand the council re-home them to another site within the district.

Mum-of-four Jean Sheridan, 24, added: “We have nowhere else to go. My babes need medical help. They were born prematurely and lucky to live. How will they survive the terrors bailiffs bring?”

The council is currently tendering bailiffs to clear Dale Farm and Hovefields if travellers stay.

Campaigner Grattan Puxon, who is helping to organise the demo, said: “They will claim they have international law on their side to justify a demand the council must settle their community somewhere else in the district.

“They will be protesting that Basildon continues to drag its feet over a requirement by the Government that it provides land for at least 62 new pitches.”

Last month Government targets for traveller pitch allocation for the east of England were set, with Basildon ordered to make room for 62 on top of its 112 legal plots – enough to accommodate those at Dale Farm.

However, the council continues to resist the plan and is looking for alternative sites outside the district.

Council leader Tony Ball said: “Anyone is entitled to protest, but it won’t change our position. Other districts must make provision.”

He said unfortunately a recent council bid to relocate travellers to an empty site near Bristol had failed.

He added: “When I met with communities minister Shahid Malik with John Baron MP last month, he kept mentioning a transit site in Bristol.

“Officers have made inquiries, and there is a transit site at Kings Weston Lane. We looked into whether those at Dale Farm could go there on a temporary basis. However, the local authority will not entertain this. Although it is empty, they only take travellers for a few days at a time and occupants need to provide proof that they have somewhere else to go to to prevent them staying longer.”

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Comments(19)

KayBasbird says...
3:26pm Thu 6 Aug 09

Can we not just find an island to ship them to and leave them to their own devices?!?!?

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trakside says...
3:58pm Thu 6 Aug 09

KayBasbird wrote:
Can we not just find an island to ship them to and leave them to their own devices?!?!?
There is one it's called "Ireland".

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bronte says...
4:06pm Thu 6 Aug 09

The site is illegal, they knew it before they moved on to it so why are they complaining. They had an extremely long draw out battle and lost. If you want others to accept you change your attitude and ways. I'm afraid too many people have had bad experiences with travellers they are a law until themselves.





















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KayBasbird says...
4:15pm Thu 6 Aug 09

I think everybody's had bad experiences with them, even if its just the misfortune of seeing one...its a bad enough experience for me!

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SusieW says...
4:42pm Thu 6 Aug 09

If the travellers complied with the eviction notice there would be no need for them to be concerned about "How will they survive the terrors bailiffs bring?”
By not complying they are the ones breaking the law and creating the need to use bailiffs to enforce it.

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basboy says...
7:50pm Thu 6 Aug 09

the proper planning laws you mention are classed as trespass laws which were brought in over at Ireland that is why they all jumped ship and moved here ,president blair was supposed to do the same here but as usual nothing happened

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shallotman says...
7:56pm Thu 6 Aug 09

If they are all at the council offices, wouldn't it be an ideal time to clear the site.

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evilc says...
8:29pm Thu 6 Aug 09

That is the ideal time for the RAF to rid us of the enemy within.

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Cor Blimey says...
8:44pm Thu 6 Aug 09

Pikies will always cause destruction where ever they go. Why cant society make use of them and send them to the front line in Afganistan? Least then they will have a purpose on earth

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Iffy says...
9:00pm Thu 6 Aug 09

KayBasbird wrote:
Can we not just find an island to ship them to and leave them to their own devices?!?!?
Who needs an Island?Loads of room in IRAQ

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bumper says...
9:29pm Thu 6 Aug 09

when they go there move in with the JCBS and thats the end why are they still pi55ing about with this scum for they got a court order to get off so just do the job in hand and show the tax payer you have got a back bone or are you all talk Basildon
council you won the talking the easy one now do the real work and stop f-u-c-king around with this scum .

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midnight warrior says...
9:59pm Thu 6 Aug 09

As usual the poisonous Grattan Puxon still advising on how to defy the law, albeit planning or any other. No-one in their right mind wants them including Bristol or anywhere else. Any effort to shove them elsewhere will be refused it will not happen because they consistently refuse to be part of the law abiding community. This government is incapable of dealing with this rubbish.

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richomack360 says...
8:27am Fri 7 Aug 09

I absolutely cannot wait for the green light for the upholders of the law to go on to that scumbag filled hell hole and wipe them out.

If its a fight they want then I am pretty sure the balliffs and Police won't stand by and take any abuse.

I think they should send the door staff from the Festival Leisure down to the site, as they are a force more powerful and deadly than Chuck Norris and Arnie put together

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Ironman says...
9:39am Fri 7 Aug 09

I have a friend who is a full bred Romany and this person hates these so called Travellers with a vengeance. They are just masquerading to ponce as much as they can from us.

Can some please explain the logic behind making them a separate 'ethnic' race?

It is beyond belief that our so called elected representatives (at all levels) still pander to them and let them take the bung out of the fully paid up members of our society.

But, other than taking to the streets, what can we do about it.

If they do move, it will only be to infest somewhere else.

We need a law change, now!

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Deadjim says...
10:41am Fri 7 Aug 09

EU Law does not support the travellers position .That’s been confirmed by the Court of Appeal and House of Lords so what specific “international law” is Mr Puxon referring to ?

It’s wrong to link any future requirement for pitches with enforcement at Dale Farm and wrong to suggest that Basildon is dragging it’s feet .
The regional pitch allocations are merely the start of the long processes of creating detailed development plan documents with specific sites identified, getting these agreed and then, eventually, moving on to implementation and anyway,Councils can still challenge the current proposals in the High Court and above.

For some councils, with large land areas and/or the minimum allocation of 15 pitches, the process may be easy but not in Basildon, which has many constraints, few opportunities and a totally unacceptable allocation compared to it’s near neighbours.

According to a recent report, some local authorities in the UK are saying it will take up to 20 years for all the current plans for new pitches to be provided .

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TheWizzard says...
2:43pm Fri 7 Aug 09

Why do we have to supply pitches for these people, they have a country of their own to return to. If people from Poland and other east European countries started turning up with caravans would we have to supply them with pitches too?

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thelonewhinger says...
4:09pm Fri 7 Aug 09

TheWizzard wrote:
Why do we have to supply pitches for these people, they have a country of their own to return to. If people from Poland and other east European countries started turning up with caravans would we have to supply them with pitches too?
Why indeed? but I have it on good authority that there are "traveller" communities in Kent and other locations who already have Eastern European "travellers" in residence.

This ultra-PC scheme has been ill conceived and has the potential to make Britain the non-travelling traveller capital of Europe. Just bear in mind the "traveller refugees fleeing from persecution" all over Europe. Northern Ireland sent a few packing recently (Romanian Gypsies) so I wonder where they will end up?

The more pitches we build the more we will need and with them will come the expense for maintenance and providing services for a minority group who contribute nothing and often harbour illegal activities.

Keep up the protest. Keep asking why the government is promoting inequality by demanding special housing provision for these groups. Better still Basildon people - Take a leaf out of the Trav. handbook -Organise your own anti-trav demo!

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Madame_Medusa says...
9:04pm Fri 7 Aug 09

I had the misfortune of being in a family restaurant when a gaggle of traveller (??!!) women and children came in. They were loud, messy, and the waitresses were constantly being harrassed by them, to the point of even interuppting when another patron was ordering their meal. My friends and I quickly finished our meal, paid up and left. I felt sorry for the poor staff that had to deal with them and clear up their disgusting mess. It's clear from their behaviour that they cannot integrate with the rest of society, we need to get shot of them as soon as possible and tighten up laws so they cannot come back. Put them on the next ferry back to their beloved homeland and wave them goodbye and good riddance.

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midnight warrior says...
11:10pm Fri 7 Aug 09

The government keep passing this situation around like a hot potato they don't want to hold. These people are minority antisocial scumbags and should be dealt with as such. Perhaps scores of law abiding tax paying citizens should also attend the protest meeting so that it is a balanced protest.

If Jean Sheridan had an ounce of care for her children she would move her backside and not subject them to squatting illegally. Piece of info in case anyone doesn't realise, medical services are also available elsewhere.

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