Travellers in Birmingham have pitched up on the same spot for the fifth time in mere months as furious locals are left cleaning up rubbish. Just 24 hours after residents had finished litter picking, Swanshurst Park in Billesley saw caravans are vehicles arriving once again. Two weeks ago, members of the Friends of Swanshurst Park group said they’d picked up 23 bags of rubbish while battling miserable weather after the last group of travellers left.
They wrote on Facebook: “The travellers left Swanshurst Park last night. There was actually more rubbish left than it appeared at first sight. But I, together with Barry Henley and Liz Stearn collected 23 bags of rubbish (in the rain) as well as larger items which will be collected by the council. The park is beautifully clean again.”
On May 21, caravans and other vehicles parked on the field near the play area, marking the third time travellers had arrived since the beginning of April.
Local community organisations told the council of this latest group with the intention of having them evicted – the same process followed on previous occasions, GB News reports.
A video posted to social media, filmed from the playground, shows the first caravans and cars pulling onto the field.
Stu Johnson said: “I saw them arriving while I was on the bus earlier – going onto the pavement by the entrance to the car park, driving along the pavement then onto the grass once they’ve passed the trees. Needs to be more logs or railings I’m afraid.”
Mary Hart added: “There have been three lots of travellers this year on Swanshurst. Each time a different group. Last time there were two groups at the same time. The clean-up is mostly done by volunteers with help from the council.”
Birmingham City Council said: “[We are] committed to actively protecting its land and will take steps to recover this land where unauthorised encampments encroach upon it.
“The council has useable transit sites and plots for use by the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community – which is in line with Government policy.
“And details of the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment carried out and updated in 2019 can be found on our website.”