Travellers have set up camp in the car park of a business in north Bradley Stoke.
At least three caravans/motorhomes and associated vehicles are currently stationed in the car park of global food ingredients company Kerry Group at Equinox South, Great Park Road [map].
Local UKIP councillor and parliamentary candidate Ben Walker tweeted last night:
“Disappointed that travellers have decided to set-up in the Kerry Foods car park #BradleyStoke Hope the agents/business take action tomorrow.”
Last year, Cllr Walker was highly critical of South Gloucestershire Council’s (SGC’s) handling of two unauthorised traveller encampments on council-owned land alongside Bradley Stoke Way.
Following the end of the second encampment in August 2014, Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC) paid for three boulders to be placed across the access ramp leading to the Bradley Stoke Way site. Councillors also agreed to allow the grass on the site to grow long, to act as a deterrent against further encampments.
SGC’s policy statement on unauthorised traveller encampments states:
” The council will not generally intervene in respect of encampments on privately owned land and would expect private landowners to deal with these in accordance with civil law.”
Addressing a BSTC meeting last year, an SGC officer said that travellers generally tend to choose “out of the way” places to set up camp, adding that eviction can often lead to them moving to less desirable sites that are closer to residential properties.
Photo: Traveller caravans and other vehicles in the Kerry Group car park on Monday morning (23rd March).
There’s plenty of discussion about this story on the Bradley Stoke Journal’s Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/BradleyStokeJournal/posts/917636891619821
The travellers had left the Kerry Group site when I checked at 4pm today.
Are you sure they have gone? There were a few caravans when I walked past this afternoon.
@Eric, I’m positive they had gone on Tuesday afternoon, but yes, you’re the second person to report that caravans are back there this weekend.