Father’s anger at travellers’ return

A DISGUSTED father-of-three moved his family out of their Royton home and into a Manchester apartment to get away from travellers using land behind their home as a public toilet.

The man, who does not want to be named, took action last week after 35 caravans rolled up on playing fields at Haggate, off Middleton Road, for the second time in a year.

He said: “The vans might as well be in my garden. As I am talking, I can see a man who has gone wandering into the trees in his underpants with no top on and he is squatting down.

“The situation has become intolerable. The travellers are within 100 yards of 30 to 40 homes.

“I moved my family out of the property on Friday and into an apartment. It was the Easter holidays and my children should have been playing out, but it’s not just them — there are dog walkers and other people who use the paths across the site.

“My neighbour told me he looked out of his kitchen window to see a burly chap crouching over and defecating in the field.

“I want to know who is going to disinfect these fields when they have gone. There is toilet paper everywhere. My view is that Oldham Council is at fault because they don’t have a site for the travellers, even though they can’t be blamed for people with very poor hygiene habits.

“The council should have an area where these people can go and they should make sure exposed and vulnerable areas are protected, in particular areas where travellers have been before.”

Oldham Council is still waiting for confirmation of a court order to move travellers from the football pitch.

Once the court order to regain possession of the site has been granted, the travellers will have 24 hours to leave or be forcibly removed.