A particularly unpleasant and potentially violent bunch of travellers have appeared on the Irvine Road Field, and within hours of their arrival were threatening local residents.
Local residents were woken by the commotion as the travellers sneaked in at about 4am on Friday morning, and within hours they were shouting abuse and exposing themselves to passers by and dog walkers.
Police were called when one individual threatened your IRARA representative in the course of photographing the field with its new squatters and we were informed (by the same individual) that the field is now ‘their property’.
We urge all local residents to be extra vigilant with personal and domestic security, but please do not allow yourselves to be intimidated into not using the area, as this is exactly what they are trying to achieve.
Long term members will remember the last visit from travellers on the field and the appalling insanitary mess they left behind. Let’s hope they can be evicted before they do too much damage this time.
IRARA is in touch with the Colchester Borough Council and will keep members informed.
Update July 23rd
A Mr ‘John Smith’, spokesman for the travellers told the media last week on Friday that they intended to stay for only “5 or 6 days, as they were visiting friends”. On Tuesday they were served with a 24 hour eviction notice by the landowners, Essex County Council requiring them to leave by 13.30 yesterday. Unsurprisingly they are still in residence and show no sign of leaving. We have been informed that ECC have ordered a court summons which will be served tomorrow and the hearing will take place on Monday 27th.
Update July 28th
The last of the travellers’ caravans disappeared some time yesterday evening, yesterday being the date on which CBC were intending to get a court order to remove the caravans.
Predictably, they have left quite a mess behind, but it could have been a lot worse. This is what 7 caravans can achieve in only 9 days.