Travellers ordered to leave car park

ORDERED off. . . the travellers camp on land at Broadway, opposite St Anne’s School

TRAVELLERS have been forced to leave a site in Royton after setting up an illegal camp earlier this week.

Seven caravans and other vehicles arrived on Tuesday evening at a car park on council land opposite St Anne’s Primary School. Environmental health officers contacted the police and visited the site yesterday. Police ordered the group to leave by 9am today.

After similar incidents in recent years, council-placed boulders prevented the travellers getting into the nighbouring park.

“We don’t want to fence the park off and make it feel like Alcatraz just to stop people parking on the site, but we have had to compromise,” said local Councillor Steven Bashforth.

“It is inevitable that we will get people parking illegally like this in Royton due to the town being so close to a motorway.”