Travellers

[Roboframer]

We have a problem with travellers in the southern part of our village. A few years ago it was just a huge derelict ex garden nursery but then they built a new development of 600 houses with a 'nice' open area further South of that incorporating a skateboard/BMX park.

They come, we see how they gained access and do something to prevent it next time, plus try and think ahead of them and do something else too. But this time they put plan B in to action. They made a bush fire - dialled 999 knowing the fire brigade could only accesss the fire by destroying a fence, which they did, and as soon as they left they all piled in.

Here's the discussion so far on our village website's forum - I'm 'BFA' (Best Framer in Angmering) and Mrs R is 'Patty' who is also chair of Angmering Parish Council. 'BRAM' only appears when there's a chance to have a pop at APC - 'Bert' is a bit the same plus a bit of a 'spotter' and an ex copper - well 'police' anyway.

Most, if not all others live close to where the travellers are on the new development and are a bit 'pissed' that they didn't see this coming (I could have told them) and about how it may affect the value of their properties.

What none of them have done however, is gone and spoken to these travellers, they're not 'Pikeys' - Mrs R has though and basically they accept they're a PITA but they know the laws inside out and if and when they came to buy a nice posh house in a nice posh village, they'd know exactly where to buy to avoid this problem. My end!

[mikeysaling]

john - feel sorry for residents of your village. This is the latest news on a protracted 'eviction' from dale farm in crays hill essex - i think this has been going on since 2004 , maybe longer.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/ ... t-eviction

if you google dale farm there are pages and pages of info, even a wiki page devoted to the subject. wish you all luck to resolve the problem.

[Jonny2morsos]

In our village we all lost our phone connection recently. Pick up the phone.....nothing, no braodband either.

The cause - The old road through the village was closed off at one end and a by pass built Snag was all the services passed along side the old road which other than access to a few houses no one goes along.

So along come the travellers lift the manhole covers pick up the telephone cables wrap them round the tow bar of their vehicle drive down the road a bit and they soon had a load of copper cable to flog to some dodgy scrap metal dealer.

[mikeysaling]

that is also a prob in essex - not just phone cables but railway cables and manhole covers !!

[fusionframer]

We had some travellers near arrive every year near us. Fences were built, but they broke those and got in. They left only when they wanted, but the mess they left behind was unbelievable.

After they left one year, it was decided that the only way to stop them was to dig out a trench all the way around and use the earth to build an earth wall besides it. They planted loads of plants along to make it look pretty. We have never had them back since. Of course the problem with this is it stops access for other vehicles as well, it didn't matter there but may be an issue elsewhere.

[Not your average framer]

There was a problem with travellers in one part of Devon felling trees on private land and selling the timber.

It has also been long suspected that they are involved with killing deer and sheep for meat, which they then sell.

Nothing was ever done to stop them in either case. The authorities just are not interested!

[prospero]

Nicking cables and pipes is bad enough, but I read in the paper yesterday about a war memorial that was robbed for it's bronze plaques. That really is beyond the pale.
Never been in favour of the death penalty. Transportation however.......

[Not your average framer]

The travellers need not be the only ones with a plan b. Farmers know how to deal with this. Can't you get a local farmer to supply a tanker load of pig slurry to the site.

It not only stinks, but will attract every fly for miles and the flies will be in their caravans and they will know what the flies will bring with them. Pig poo!

They will be moving on in no time flat!

[Roboframer]

There's no pig farms around here, mostly crops, a few dairy herds and some sheep.

Problems would be revenge - it's best not to mix it with these types, you'll never find them again but they'll find you any time they like. Also the stench - I think the local residents would prefer the travellers!

Being at an extremity of the village, 90% of it doesn't give one anyway, there's not a huge amount of community spirit here, just look at the map - we're not an isolated community, we're joined on to a village either side who also are, then a town, etc etc. There's hardly a break in the housing between Brighton & Chichester and locals refer to our area as 'Worthampton' (Worthing-Littlehampton).

As I said, these people are not Pikeys or the type that quote you £50 to do whatever, do it and then demand £300. What they do is stuff like remove/prune trees - but they won't take them to a tip because they get don't want to pay, so they fly tip and let the council pay.

[Tim]

There was a problem with travellers in one part of Devon felling trees on private land and selling the timber. It has also been long suspected that they are involved with killing deer and sheep for meat, which they then sell.

If I were a true pessimist, I'd congratulate them for being about twenty years ahead of the game. The skills you mention could well end up being invaluable in that kind of time frame if some current economic predictions turn out to be true.....

[mikeysaling]

John keep us posted on developments - it affects towns and villages all over england - who knows your village may come up with an answer to the problem. Again i wish you all good luck

[Roboframer]

Keep an eye on our village forum - link in the OP - a few new people have entered the discussion - 'Nigel' is Pat's predecessor who got voted out at the last election - evenly balanced type of bloke (a chip on each shoulder)!

'Grumpy girl' doesn't realise we know who she is - the wife of one of the Parish Councillors - she used to be one of our 'community wardens' - IOW a litter picker/dog turd collector - don't get me wrong - there's 3 of them and one works for us too, they do a great job. But 'Grumpy Girl' got the skatepark area and started bollocking the kids for dropping litter - so the moment she'd filled the litter bins and left - they tipped the whole lot out again - but strewn over a larger area!

Now Margaret, wot works for us has that patch - the kids help her pick the stuff up!

[Roboframer]

Here's a Google Map drag the little man to 'Parsons Close' for a view of where these travellers are - a bit irresistable really!

[Tim]

Plenty of well camouflaged vantage points close to there where a decent sniper with a high powered air rifle could hit a traveller's gas bottle regulator.......

[Jonny2morsos]

Surprised they did not notice the "No Trespassing, Private Property" notice on the gate!

[mikeysaling]

latest on beeb local about dale farm - seems everyone is now in on the act !!! poor travellers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-14431494

[mikeysaling]

have followed the website - what is the current position re apc - what is the next move now the travellers seem to have left . Have they really left (the site or the area).

[Roboframer]

They've left the county. The Parish Council is getting quotes for various obstacles/obstructions but whatever they are it will cost a fortune to go the whole way around that area so it probably won't, plus it has to be something that doesn't make it look like a POW camp!

Then there's gates, there has to be gates, but like I said on the village forum, if they can get away with criminal damage like taking chainsaws to them ......?

The exits/entrances they made for themselves have been temporarily blocked with mounds of earth. They'll be back, but as you can see from the map, they are at an extremity of the village and again, as I said on the forum, barring a handful who live on top of the area, and the usual regular forum whingers who thrive on this sort of stuff, most of the village never knew they were there or wouldn't care if they did.

They came to us from Chichester and they were followed by a West Sussex County Council guy who evicted them from there within 24 hrs under section 61 (whatever that is) and he told the police exactly how to do the same and what grounds they had to do it, but they didn't, and very probably because they knew they weren't actually affecting many people and that they would have to commit far more resources to wherever they broke in to next if they were moved sooner than they wanted to be.

[mikeysaling]

the dale farm saga goes on and was agin in the news today - the travellers have til end on the month to leave or baliffs move in ! essex police have £8,000,000 pounds set aside now to police the removal !

[Roboframer]

I've been keeping up with Dale farm too - and if we're not careful we could end up with that sort of situation - the area has everything going for it from the travellers' point of view, however, I think the type of travellers are different.

Being a suspicious sod though, I can't help wondering if the local community (at the time the new development was built which opened up this land) and the people that moved in to it, failed to see the potential attraction to travellers ..... but the developers, possibly hand-in-glove with county planners ..... didn't - and one day we'll be asked what we prefer, another 300 houses or this.