After events this week I was reminded of previous occasions where I have had to visit Travellers’ camps beginning with this from June 2009. Seamer Horse Fair was an annual event in the Scarborough area.

POLICE had to be called to Centurion Way in Crossgates after early arrivals for this year’s Seamer Horse Fair tried to set up camp there.

Residents on the housing estate feared there would be a repeat of events last year when scores of caravans arrived and pitched up on the grass verges.

The gipsies and travellers arrived on Friday at about 3.15pm but were moved on and directed to a holding area in Seamer by police within 30 minutes.

Residents said there were also two pick-up trucks with the vans and it was reported there were others waiting in neighbouring Seamer.

An official site has been chosen on land off Stoney Haggs Road and it will be in operation between next Monday and Thursday, July 16, for the horse fair.

Cllr David Jeffels, who represents residents in both Seamer and Derwent Valley, said it was a better site than in the past and its choice had involved a lot of planning between a number of agencies.

He said: “We couldn’t have done more to allay the fears of residents and to meet the expectations of the travellers themselves.”

Stoney Haggs Road will be closed between Stoney Haggs Rise and Seamer Moor Lane – which is also known locally as Dickie Harper’s Lane – while the official site is open.

Facilities, such as a water supply and portable toilets, will be provided at the site and a private security firm has been hired to monitor problem areas and make sure illegal camps were not set up.

Cllr Jeffels said: “They aren’t going to be close to housing at the official site. I think the area they are being given is acceptable because it is a solid area.”

In previous years a field at High Eastfield Farm has been used but the travellers found it unacceptable because it was prone to flooding after heavy rainfall – leading to caravans getting bogged down in the mud.

Cllr Jeffels said: “There’s no excuse for anybody fouling the hedges that we’ve seen in the past because there will befacilities provided. The whole operation is going to be closely monitored.”

Leaflets containing emergency contact numbers relating to a number of possible problems have also been distributed to residents living in the immediate area surrounding the horse fair.

From the Scarborough Evening News on Tuesday, June 30, 2009.

Legal action to evict Travellers

SCARBOROUGH Council is taking legal action to evict a number of travellers who have set up camp in a field off Burniston Road.

Residents became concerned when around 15 caravans were found parked in the overflow car park.

A Scarborough Council spokeswoman said the travellers were trespassing on council land, adding: “Our legal services team has submitted an application to Scarborough County Court with a view to obtaining an order requiring them to vacate the land.

“We hope that we will be advised of a date for the hearing very soon.”

When the Evening News visited the site this week the travellers said that they were staying there because the official site which will be used for the annual horse fair at Seamer is not yet open.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “We are aware of them building up in the area but there have been no policing issues.”

Last week the council announced that final preparations had been put in place for this month’s Seamer Horse Fair – with hundreds of gipsies and travellers expected to flock to Scarborough.

The event will be held for the second time on council land to the north of the B1261, between Seamer and Crossgates, between this Wednesday and Friday July 15.

Police, the council and North Yorkshire County Council are hopeful of a repeat of last year’s event, when scenes of disorder which marred previous years were largely avoided.

Facilities provided for travellers have included the provision of an on-site water supply via standpipes, a horse trough in the adjacent Dell, as well as portable toilets and skips for refuse disposal.

Site managers will be on-site – 24 hours a day, seven days a week over the period that the site is opened – to collect site fees and make sure that the site is managed safely with minimal disturbance to residents.

This year, a ‘quiet site’ policy, between 10pm and 6am, will be enforced.

The fees the travellers will be charged will depend on when they arrive at the annual event. Those arriving on the first day of the fair will be charged £60 per caravan, with the price decreasing by £5 on each consecutive day.

Last year fencing was installed around Centurion Way, at a total cost of £53,000, to prevent camping on unauthorised land.

The site was the scene of angry confrontations between travellers and residents occurred in the years before 2010.

In 2008, £788 was spent evicting travellers from unauthorised sites, while the following year more than £4724 was spent by the local authority.

Last year it was not necessary to spend any money evicting travellers as they stayed on the designated site.

Planning permission has already been granted to use the land to the north of the B1261 for a further two years, although the location will once again be reviewed after the permission expires.

From the Scarborough Evening News on Saturday, July 2, 2011.

Travellers move out

TRAVELLERS who were illegally camped next to a car park in Scarborough moved on at the 11th hour – as police prepared to forceably evict them.

Using powers under the 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, officers had issued eviction notices on Wednesday night ordering the caravans to be gone from the field at the rear of the Burniston Road car park by yesterday lunchtime.

The majority of the travellers were gone by noon and the rest were moving before the 1pm deadline. If they had not complied, officers were on hand and ready to forceably remove them and escort them out of the borough.

Supt Dave Foster, who supervised the police operation, said it had been a success. He said: “We had 25 caravans here this morning.”

He added that they had worked in co-operation with Scarborough Council who owned the land. He said: “The notice to leave has to be given by the landowners who have been working with the police.”

When the Evening News visited the site last week the travellers claimed they were camped there because an official site near Seamer was not open.

The official site, on council land to the north of the B1261 between Seamer and Crossgates, opened on Wednesday and it is the second year it has been used for Seamer Horse Fair.

It is understood that not many of the Burniston Road caravans headed to the Seamer site and instead travelled to the Hull area.

Andy Skelton, Scarborough Council’s head of environmental services, said that the local authority had been taking separate court action to get the evictions.

He said: “We’d been led to believe, by the travellers, that they were going to go to the horse fair.

“Once it became apparent that they weren’t intending to go to the horse fair but to stay in Burniston Road car park we were pleased to be able to work with the police to bring the situation to a rapid conclusion.

“I am very pleased with the support we’ve had from the police and, as we speak, I am pleased that a majority of travellers have moved off and I am fairly confident that those who remain are intending to move off today.”

He added that there was a large amount of rubbish and other debris left at the site and he hoped that council workers could complete the clear up within 24 hours.

He said: “It’s an extremely unpleasant job for our staff. And the majority of the travellers that have moved off have not gone to Seamer.”

From the Scarborough Evening News on Friday, July 8, 2011.

Seamer is travellers’ favourite horse fair

EVERY July the population in the Seamer area swells with an influx of travellers coming to the area for an annual horse fair.

The event is being held for the second year on council-owned land, to the north of the B1261 between Seamer and Crossgates, following a successful trial last year.

Last month the council announced that final preparations had been put in place for this month’s Seamer Horse Fair – with hundreds of Gipsies and travellers expected to flock to Scarborough until Friday, July 15.

And within a day of it being opened there were scores of caravans camped there with dozens of horses quietly grazing in the field.

Margaret Wilkinson, from Bradford, said that the site was a good choice and it had been a success last year. She added: “The police were alright with everybody. Everybody had a good time and there was no trouble. We are looking forward to this year.”

She said that the children enjoyed coming to the Seamer event because there was plenty for them in the surrounding area. She said: “They can go to the seafront and it keeps them out of trouble.”

Her son Reuben, who still builds gypsy caravans using traditional methods, said he liked Seamer because it was a “peaceful and quiet” horse fair.

He said: “It’s the right size. Some years it’ll be bigger and other years it’ll not be as big. We come here every year. This site is ideal.”

Kevin Nunney, who was also from Bradford, said that he was very pleased with the choice of site. He added: “It’s a good clean field.”

His six-year-old son Alfie said he liked the horses. He said: “I’ve got myself a horse.”

One Bradford woman, known as Christine, agreed that the choice of site was good but was hoping that there would be any trouble at night.

She said: “Last year, at night time, there were a few of the young ones skidding up and down. We were worried that it would be the same this year but the security guards are keeping an eye on things.

“I’ve been coming here for 25 years. You go to Appleby and you go to other fairs and there’s nothing to do apart from sitting in the field. But here you can go to Scarborough.”

Speaking at Monday’s meeting of Scarborough Council Cllr Roxanne Murphy, who represents residents living in the Seamer ward, asked whether reasonable measures had been put in place to make sure the horse fair would run smoothly this year.

Cllr Bill Chatt, the portfolioholder for Housing, Public Health, Property Maintenance and Sustainability, said that a range of measures were in place while the site was open.

Police, the council and North Yorkshire County Council are hopeful of a repeat of last year’s event, when scenes of disorder, which marred previous years, were largely avoided.

Facilities provided for travellers have included the provision of an on-site water supply via standpipes, a horse trough in the adjacent Dell, as well as portable toilets and skips for refuse disposal.

Managers will be on-site – 24 hours a day, seven days a week over the period that the site is open – to collect site fees and make sure that it is managed safely with minimal disturbance to residents.

This year, a ‘quiet site’ policy, between 10pm and 6am, will be enforced. The fees the travellers will be charged will depend on when they arrive at the annual event. Those arriving on the first day of the fair were charged £60 per caravan, with the price dropping by £5 on each consecutive day.

Last year fencing was installed around Centurion Way, at a total cost of £53,000, to prevent camping on unauthorised land to avoid a repeat of angry confrontations witnessed in previous years.

Planning permission has already been granted to use the land to the north of the B1261 for a further two years, although the location will once again be reviewed after the permission expires.

From the Scarborough Evening News on Saturday, July 9, 2011.