A THURROCK councillor has called for urgent action by police and stringent enforcement by the borough council after reporting that local children are being attacked by members of the traveller community currently encamped in the borough.
Chadwell St Mary Cllr Gerard Rice has contacted the council’s CEO Lyn Carpenter, other senior officials, Essex police and Essex County Council’s Traveller Unit asking why the current encampment on the car park of the Civic Hall and Leisure Centre at Blackshots has been allowed to stay there so long.
The travellers moved onto the Blackshots site last weekend, initially camping on the adjacent King George’s playing fields then, as the weather deteriorated, they moved onto the car park.
Previously, the group had been camped for several days on an unnamed road off the A1013 (Stanford Road) that gives access to the nearby Gammon Field Gypsy and traveler site. They left it litter-strewn before moving to to Blackshots.
Cllr Rice says young travellers, who are part of the encampment, have been ‘beating up’ local children.
In an e-mail calling for action, Cllr Rice says: “With regards to travellers in the Impulse Leisure car park, several residents from Chadwell and Little Thurrock have witnessed young travellers beating up local children in the last few days
“My question is: where are the Police? And Thurrock Council need to take an injunction out against these families to remove them from Thurrock like Harlow and Havering.”
Thurrock Council stated last week they had received a report of the encampment on Monday, 26 March and a direction to leave was handed to the travellers two days later.
The council said if the order was not obeyed they will make a court application to have the travellers forcibly moved from the site, but five days later the travellers are still there – prompting Cllr Rice’s call for urgent action.
In February Thurrock Council leader Rob Gledhill slammed Essex Police for their lack of action over traveller encampments in Thurrock and promised tougher stance by the council.
He said: “The lack of direction and action by the senior police management has yet again let Thurrock residents down. It is not acceptable that Essex Police continue to pay lip service to this very serious issue.”
He went on to “send the message to those who think Thurrock is a soft touch for this type of criminality, that we will use all and any type of action to stop our land being used illegally.”
Simple do to them what Ireland does impose a trespass law that makes it illegal to pull onto any land not owned by themselves.
For too long we have been too soft, as for children being assaulted that is a police matter, I am sure TBC would have a liability if the cases were taken to court, but in the world of too few cops and the LA with no willing funding to support any actions, it would just end up being another crime number.
Sad too say our community is blighted by the iresponsible attitude, whilst they are still around how about giving them the options to clear their own rubbish or get the litter enforcers to deal with them, like they do with the ciggie butt droppers in Grays Town Centre, but oh it’s not area of high footfall, so I doubt the enforcers would manage to find this location! let alone want to deal with the unruly, with the by elections coming up a chance to change the ownership of the council chambers and hopefully get some sense into the real issues of Thurrock instead of the Tory inventions to bring in shareholder owned companies to clean out the coffers.
Take their trucks and caravans to pay compensation for the clear up and assaults.
Oh, but didn’t Rob Gledhill once say we wouldn’t want to criminalise them..lol
I have Heard that they have been going into shops without paying and they have used the swimming pool showers for washing. I think the term is call Free Loading.
Jail them. fine them and crush the caravans.
Here, here CTB.
Labour camps, we need to build Labour camps.
Labour Camps? don’t you mean Tory camps.
its like a labour camp only you get out when the interest rate crashes to zero.
Oh dear CTB you are very bitter. I have to ask why?
Did you not benefit from Maggie making us all wealthier?
Did it pass you by or maybe you was a union man?
This council and the police are showing their true colours ,they are scared to try any enforcement on these travellers.Lets see if any of them are prosecuted for their antics,I very much doubt it .They will go away laughing at us all and return again next bank holiday to create havoc knowing that the authorities will do nothing.
thurrocksgonedownhill you know I was at school under Maggies time.
No I never have been a member of a union.. Because even they can take the piss at times.
I am a Green member and want to go to capitalism for everything apart from socialism with the NHS and Education.
Not the profiteering system we have now.people like you would cut the balls off a man if it would make you a tenner more. That’s the problem with the world today.
Not me CTB. I would protect free education, pensioners, and the NHS. ….BUT I would have severe penalties for the crimes we see today, the disrespect of good people and their homes and the parasites that contribute nothing.
That includes you Vicki Pollard girlfriend.
and how will we pay for all these prisons and extra police?
Paid for by stopping the parasitic lifestyle of your girlfriend Vicki Pollard and her scummy mummy mates.