Archive - Thursday, 14 February 2002


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Stalemate over travellers

A COUNCIL chief has admitted being caught in a Catch 22 situation when it comes to moving travellers on from unsuitable sites.

Bodger White, Judy Williams and her two children Niamh (4) and Cornelius (7are desperate to move on from a busy lay-by just off the A419.

They live in a caravan at the top of Cowcombe Hill, opposite the former Aston Down airfield.

"The lorries that come up and down here are just unbelievable," said Mr White, who had to move on from Axe Lane, Dursley, then the A38 at Cambridge more than a year ago.

"It's been very hard here. We would be quite happy to move on if we had somewhere to go."

He said he believed Gloucestershire County Council, which owns the lay-by off the A419, has an obligation to find an alternative site.

When the News & Journal visited, there were three other caravans along from the snack bar and the lay-by was free of litter and rubbish, except for a stolen car with a police sticker on it.

Mrs Williams looks after Niamh and Cornelius attends Christchurch School, Chalford.

"We have kept this site together and moved on all the cars that get dumped here," she said.

"I was born on the road and everyone has a right to prove they can live on the road."

Cllr Colin Hay, cabinet member with responsibility for travellers explained how GCC was caught in a Catch 22.

"We want to move them on because it's not the best location for them to be," he told the News & Journal. "It's quite dangerous.

"They don't have their own vehicles and if we evicted them we would be turfing them out - one has children and we would be making them homeless.

"If we evicted them by towing them off, where would we put them? "There are no suitable sites nearby."

Making them homeless would mean Stroud District Council would have to find them a home, he said and leaving them on the highway would make them the police's responsibility.

"It creates quite a headache," he said. He said he intended to call a meeting between GCC, SDC and the police to discuss issues surrounding travellers.