Cllr Graeme Coombes has been working with Bedford Borough Council officers, Bedfordshire Police and Gallagher, the Wixams development group, to ensure that swift action is taken to remove a Gypsy & Traveller encampment.

The group first settled in Wilstead at the beginning of November but then moved on to land adjacent to the Wixams bus gate.  They were evicted by Gallagher this week, with the police in attendance, but simply drove a few hundred metres to a new site next to the Causeway roundabout, from which they have since been moved on again.

Cllr Coombes said:

‘Frankly it's unacceptable that travellers can just move from site to site within a few hundred yards of each other and the landowners then have to go through the eviction process repeatedly.  I have therefore written to the Mayor asking for his support to bring about a more long term solution to the problem, rather than merely moving them from one site to the next within the Borough.

‘On Friday morning I was driving out of Wixams and saw a number of presumably Council workmen clearing the rubbish from the layby where the travellers had been last week.  At the same time, another group of workmen was extending the fence where the horses had recently broken through, as the gaps had been previously covered by just the police tape.  I spoke to Gallagher about this earlier last week and had requested that they look at blocking these gaps to try and prevent further incursions into the road by horses.

‘I have to say thanks to both the Council environment team and to Gallagher for a speedy response to these issues.

‘Additionally, I went over to the Wilstead side of the A6 roundabout and the travellers have now moved on from here. This site is also clear of litter, so it looks like the Council team have been quick off the mark here too.’