A group of approximately 15 caravans descended upon the picturesque recreation ground in Kent, on Sunday evening, marking the fourth occasion travellers have occupied the site within a single year.
The encampment arrived at dusk, gaining entry by pulling a metal bollard from the ground to circumvent the 50-centimetre wooden barrier that Swale Borough Council had erected in Milton Regis at a cost of £18,000.
The low fence, standing only knee-high, was installed following an extended occupation last year when travellers remained on the green space for several weeks.
Local CCTV footage captured the group as they bypassed the expensive perimeter, with councillors noting the bollard’s removal slowed their ability to establish the camp.
Police were able to clear the site by Monday afternoon, with the encampment fully removed between 4pm and 5pm, reports The Sun.
Village residents expressed frustration at the barrier’s failure to prevent the latest incursion, with many questioning whether the expenditure represented sensible use of public funds.
Caoibhe Winskill, 56, who runs the Three Hats pub in Milton, said: “Well they had to do something. I think it would’ve been better if they had done mounds of soil, which would’ve grown over with grass and then the chassis of the caravans would never have got over them.”
Dog walker Ken Highland, 78, described the situation as sickening, adding: “What is going to stop them if they really want to? If they are that determined to get in they will.” When asked whether the fencing offered good value, he replied: “No, not really.”
The recreation ground has seen travellers pitch up several times
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Fellow dog walker David Dacombe, 55, was more scathing in his assessment: “It was useless from the moment it was put in obsolete.
“They’ve only got to nudge it with a truck and it’ll go over. Brains of Britain worked that one out, didn’t they?”
Despite the criticism, Labour councillor Tony Winckless defended the investment, arguing the fence had actually served its intended purpose by creating a legal basis for swift removal.
He explained that in previous incidents, traveller groups had managed to establish their camps within just 24 hours, whereas this latest group was significantly delayed in setting up.
The landlady at the Three Hats said the council ‘had to do something’
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Crucially, the councillor argued, the barrier’s presence meant that removing the bollard constituted criminal damage, which gave police the authority to act quickly.
“The fact that the fencing was put up, the fact it was witnessed when the post was taken out, meant the police could automatically remove them, which was what they did on Monday afternoon between 4pm and 5pm,” Cllr Winckless said.
Without the fence, he maintained, authorities would have struggled to evict the group as no offence would have been committed to gain entry.
Residents voiced concerns about the aftermath of such encampments, with a 73-year-old pensioner living nearby saying: “It’s just the mess they leave behind. £18,000 for that fence is a waste of their money because they are still getting in.”
Kieran Mishchuk, became Reform’s first council seat win in Swale, Kent before defecting to Restore
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PAThe pensioner added that locals now dread each summer, wondering whether the travellers will return now they know the barrier can be breached.
Councillor Kieran Mishchuk of the Restore Britain Party, who represents the area for Swale Borough Council, acknowledged that many residents feel uncomfortable using the recreation ground during occupations.
He explained that Section 106 funding was secured for the fencing after both councillors and residents agreed that earth mounds or trenches would damage the site’s appearance.
A Swale Borough Council spokesperson confirmed that 450 metres of fencing had been installed last year, noting: “The recent illegal encampment entered through a different part of the park on Sunday evening.”