VIDEO: Couple abandon protest at Cainscross car park Stroud after being warned they were “minutes away” from arrest

Pictures and video by Jamie Wiseman

A COUPLE abandoned their protest in Stroud after being warned by police they were “minutes away” from arrest.

Elizabeth and Graham Stanley had resumed their protest at Cainscross car park this morning as contractors from Stroud District Council began work to install a two-metre high barrier at the entrance of the site.

The couple say that the barrier means the end of their minibus service as it will prevent them access to the car park.

They are involved in the community interest company Stroud District Ring and Ride – which uses the council-owned car park for its vehicles overnight. The service provides lifts for elderly and disabled people who do not manage to get out often.

SDC, which is installing barriers across at least five car parks in Stroud, argues that the new measure is to keep travellers from using the site to set up their caravans.

The authority has had to evict travellers nine times already this year costing the taxpayer over £20,000.

SDC’s contractors’ efforts to put the barrier in at the car park in Cainscross two weeks ago were thwarted by the Stanleys who staged a sit-down protest over two days.

Elizabeth Stanley during her sit-down protest two weeks ago

SDC had been prepared to provide Mr and Mrs Stanley with keys for the barrier under the proviso that they had appropriate insurance to cover the costs of moving travellers on if they accidentally left the barrier unlocked, but they refused.

The protest was eventually called off after representatives of the district council agreed to stall the work while the two parties entered into negotiations.

However despite holding a meeting to discuss other options the groups did not reach a compromise and work started again this morning.

Mrs Stanley positioned herself directly behind a truck carrying the digger at about 9am to prevent it from being used.

The Stanleys only called off this morning's protest after being warned by police that they were “minutes away” from arrest.

Contractors have now begun digging to install the barrier at the car park.

While the couple say that the installation of the barrier heralded the end of Ring and Ride a spokesman for SDC said that although the Stanleys were offered “several alternative options” for where to park their vehicles they did not get back in touch with the authority.

“We made a range of offers to Mr and Mrs Stanley moving forward and the last we knew is that they were going to think about it and get back to us,” a council spokesman said.

Before calling off the protest Mrs Stanley told the SNJ: “SDC did offer us an alternative site but it will only be available for six months until it is built on.”

She added that she was acting as a “voice for the voiceless” as the people who use the Ring and Ride service are often vulnerable to loneliness and rarely able to leave their homes.

Do you know of a car park that the Stanleys could park their fleet of Ring and Ride minibuses in?

Let us know megan.titley@stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk