Campsite for travellers opens early

11:53pm Thursday 8th May 2008

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A SPECIAL campsite has been opened for travelling families on the edge of a town ahead of schedule - because many of them have taken to the road earlier than usual.

The area, designed to stop the caravan people parking in local villages and causing trouble, was due to open on May 22 at Shaw Bank on the outskirts of Barnard Castle, County Durham.

But so many have arrived already in the district on their way to Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria that council officials decided to open up the special site, which has a water supply and portable toilets.

Today more than a dozen caravans were parked there while the travellers, from toddler age up to pensioners, sunbathed on the grass and their horses grazed nearby.

The move was welcomed by residents in Barnard Castle, Winston and Stainton Grove, where there have been many protests in the past about the visitors camping on patches of open grass and causing a lot of problems, including noise, dirt and litter.

There were complaints when a handful of families with lorries and caravans arrived at Stainton Grove a week ago, and this made officials of Teesdale District Council and Durham County Council decide to open the Shaw Bank site early.

Councillor Tony Cooke, who lives at Stainton Grove and is chairman of a forum set up to deal with the annual problem, said: "Opening the site ahead of schedule means that the travellers will have all the facilities they need, and refuse collections will be arranged. This will give peace of mind to many local residents who have suffered in the past."

He is urging all families passing through the district on their way to and from Appleby this summer to use the site, or another similar one at Broomielaw, rather than just camping anywhere they see fit.

Inspector Kevin Tuck, head of Teesdale Police and a member of the forum, welcomed the way the early arrivals have moved onto the official site. He feels there will now be fewer problems than in previous summers.

A fence has been put up around two areas of grass at Winston at a cost of £12,500 to stop travellers camping there, but people in other villages fear unofficial sites will still be used.

Insp Tuck said the police will not have routine patrols around the two official campsites, but will pay extra attention to unauthorised camping spots to ensure there is no trouble.