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| Gypos on a playing field |
The figures given exclusively to the Post show 43 incidents of trespass by travellers in the first seven months of the year -compared with 38 recorded in the whole of 2013.
The past two months have seen significant jumps, with 18 incidents in June and nine in July, as against just two and five last year. The force said the rise could be due to short visits for a funeral – as with the Boots case – rather than large numbers settling in the county.
Boots said the travellers who set up camp at its headquarters in Beeston on Tuesday moved on overnight on Wednesday "of their own accord", leaving very little litter and causing no damage to the site. But Rushcliffe Borough Council claimed travellers pitched in Edwalton and Lady Bay beforehand – thought to be the same group – cost it £10,000 to evict them and clean up afterwards.
Assistant Chief Constable Simon Torr said the powers Nottinghamshire Police had to move travellers on were incredibly complex and not often used. He said: "There are a number of aspects that affect the powers, such as the number of vehicles, how they got on to the land, and if there was any damage caused. "But we also have to adhere to the human rights and equalities Act, as gypsy travellers are deemed a minority and they have a right to their lifestyle and a family life."
He said that in cases where the need was immediate, such as travellers settling on school playing fields in term time, or industrial sites that may be a danger to them, the police would act. The law stipulates that there must be a suitable alternative before moving travellers off a site. The East Notts Travellers' Association told the Post there were no sites in the county for them to stay. But Mr Torr said it was the council's responsibility to ensure those sites were there.