Anger as travellers make camp

Seven caravans pulled up at The Hollow, South Heighton, on Thursday last week.

South Heighton Parish Council, which owns the land, has applied to Lewes magistrates for an eviction order, which is expected to be heard today (Friday).

But furious locals said it had forced them to cancel events and meant youngsters could not play on the recreation ground.

A resident, who did not wish to be named, said: 'At the moment, we have all the effluent from their caravans going into the local ditch next to the local play park.

'Over the weekend, we had a quad bike screaming around the place, all over the football pitch.'

The resident, who is involved with Denton and South Heighton Junior Football Club (DASH), said they were preparing to rebuild the changing facilities.

'We have had to put a stop to that. We cannot work down there while they are around.

'We are in the final stages and waiting for delivery. We cannot get things ready, which means other events might be delayed.

'We have a Chelsea Day planned for July 13. We have coaches from Chelsea coming down.

If that has to be cancelled because of the delay, that is a couple of hundred kids locally affected.

'From the club's point of view, it is expected to raise 1,000.

'There should be around 150 kids a week training down there. That has been cancelled until they leave.

'Locally there has been a car boot sale planned. I understand that has being cancelled.

'It is affecting the community massively.' Leader of Denton Rainbows, Kerry Empringham said she had rearranged a Rainbows outing to The Hollow when she realised the travellers had arrived. Organisers of the car boot sale said they had been told by the parish council the field was not available.

Director of Friends, Families and Travellers, a national charity based in Brighton, Chris Whitwell said: 'I cannot speak for that particular group as I do not know the circumstances of why they have arrived and the circumstances that bring them to that location.

'I can talk about the situation generally as regards groups of travellers nationally. 'This country has something like 300,000 gipsies and travellers, one of our largest minority ethnic communities.

'About two-thirds of those live in bricks and mortar housing, something a lot of people do not realise.

'Of the 100,000 who don't, 25 per cent, that's 25,000 people, do not have any site on which they can legally stop.

'In this country in 2008 there are 25,000 who cannot go and be "legal". I think is quite a disgraceful situation.

'What it shows is there is a national shortfall of pitches.'