Back in Abingdon after a few days away, I was surprised to see five horses and a dozen or so caravans in Albert Park.
I walked around taking photographs of the horses. Two small dogs ran up barking, then ran off again. The lower gate appeared to have been forced open, and vans were coming and going. One driver waited for me to take a picture of the forced gate before driving through.
The grass was short and dry, and would not provide much food for the horses.
A PCSO was watching from a distance, and Christ’s Hospital, which manages the park, are aware of the situation and will deal with any problems in whatever way the law allows. The travellers could be moved on sooner rather than later if circumstances give them legal grounds to do so.
Two lads approached me while I was there and said they had no objection to travellers living this way provided they respected others and were peaceable. I asked if they were part of the group and they said ‘no’. Other locals in the park were less pleased, particularly as it is a school holiday and vehicles are driving over the paths and grass, and there could be contamination of the play area.
We saw them arrive and cause a few minutes of chaos at the double roundabout as I assume they were planning on parking up at Ladygrove Meadow but couldn’t as the fair was already there. They completely blocked all directions while deciding where they should go next.
We are supposed to respect all cultures, beliefs and traditions but that goes both ways and everyone should be bound by the law. Its dis-heartening to see this annual disruption causing damage to private and public properties with no consequences
You put your finger on it talking about the public enjoyment of the park. It’s there for everyone’s enjoyment, for picnics, for children to play in, for dogs to be walked in. It’s meant to be a safe, clean space.
pastry based door opening implements……
Has anyone talked to them? They are, I understand, here for a wedding. They’ll be travelling elsewhere soon enough.
Are they any more dangerous than the countless bikers and car drivers who travel well in excess of the speed limit through our town and our housing estates and who are with us all year long?
I believe they have been talked with and having said they’d be here 2 nights they’ve been here 3 and counting. I’m not sure if you’ve been to the park while they’ve been here Paul but they are not a great set of neighbours. Loo roll and pooh in the bushes, young kids racing quad bikes, cars speeding through and around park, loose dog barking all night, stolen property recovered from site, etc having broken in in the first place.
I’m generally of the live and let live persuasion but I can’t wait for this lot to leave, and goodness knows what damage they will leave and how much it will cost to get the town’s lovely park back.
Iain, I agree that the behaviour you describe is unacceptable and almost certainly criminal.
My earlier post was meant to be gently (I hope) provocative. We condemn some forms of anti-social behaviour (even of criminality), but tolerate others.
I live next to barking and dogs all year long, and on a road where the speed limit is broken at all hours of the day. Barking dogs may not be a criminal issue, reckless driving certainly is and we witness it all year long.
Police forces years ago decided that some offences can be ignored. They are often understaffed; but, once some laws are not enforced, respect for the law as a whole is jeopardised.
A bit naive there PPJS…..its OK they will be moving on. Lets turn a blind eye to the criminal damage
Did I say that? No, Colin, I did not.
Its implied -they are here for a wedding and will be moving on implies they have a legitimate reason to be here as does the question about them being no less disruptive than speeding cars
They seem to be heading away now
I really don’t know what’s come over this country. These people have committed criminal damage and are still doing so. Why don’t the police go straight in to the park, evict them by force if necessary, and charge the perpetrators? No wonder everyone’s voting for Reform, they seem to be the only ones with the guts for putting the country to rights.
They were evicted yesterday.
I don’t know anyone who is voting for Reform UK Ltd.
Give me Count Binface any day.
I agree that needing to go through a legal process for a few days before being able to evict these people who clearly have no right to be there is ridiculous and the law could do with some changes to give the police powers to act immediately, but I haven’t seen Reform saying anything about that. Personally I think most (not all) of what they are saying would put the country to ‘wrong’ not ‘rights’.
Whoopee, they really took notice of eviction didn’t they? Now broken into the football ground and will leave all the usual toilet rubbish all over ground where people play. We have the Army in Abingdon, let them have an exercise of moving detritus on.
There was also quite a lot of fly tipping of garden rubbish from their businesses. I dont know whether trading standards are looking into their activities. Their cars, caravans and commercial vehicles were generally quite new and high spec so presumably there is plenty of money being made here.