Yahoo News Travellers in caravans set up camp on protected Hove Lawns, as businesses complain of slow police and council response
Travellers in caravans have set up camp on the protected lawns of Hove’s seafront to the irritation of nearby businesses, who complained little effort was being made to evict them.
Around 50 caravans and motorhomes gradually began to “take over” the Hove Lawns on Saturday and cars have since been seen driving at speed along the grass.
The occupants were said to be Irish travellers, groups of whom caused similar trouble last summer after parking further along the promenade.
The mile-long stretch of green space fringing the Brighton seafront is afforded special legal protection to stop it being occupied by vehicles.
Under the protection order, any “vehicle, caravan, tent or other structure” should be removed by the police after 12 hours, once they are given the authority by the council.
However, one business owner on the seafront said the arrival of the travellers appeared to have been timed to ensure it was after offices and courts had closed for the weekend.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Sunday afternoon, he claimed there had been no obvious attempt to disturb the encampment since it had appeared more than a day earlier.
The businessman, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “We had some young lads driving straight across the lawns, obviously that is not supposed to happen.
“They were going along the middle of the lawns at around 20-25 miles per hour - it is not crowded on the lawn today but it is not something to be advised.
“There is no sign of any police presence at all at the moment. They have very much taken it over down that end.
“I think they knew what they were doing, the bulk of them arrived on a Saturday when there is no chance of getting a court order to remove them straight away.
“We have had trouble with them before, with kids trying to nick things and rampaging through the tables - it is not something we look forward to.”
Groups of children aged between 11 and 12 were said to have been pestering neighbouring businesses by using distraction tactics to steal food.
A member of staff at a different business said: “They have been trying to take some food from here, they have been taking ketchup too. They have been leaving a mess in the toilet - customers are complaining.”
While the traveller camp is perhaps the most egregious example of the protection order being flouted in recent years, it is not the first.
Individuals have been seen camping and parking on the grass in recent months, largely due to the city’s homelessness problem, residents claimed.
Travellers have similarly parked on the main road near the promenade before.
Pictures showed the usually picturesque lawns strewn with litter, with the caravans and motorhomes parked in two parallel lines.
One onlooker said several of the vehicles were not displaying number plates, while several others appeared to have plates from overseas.
A councillor in the area expressed anger at the lack of action taken by authorities against the invasion.
Dawn Barnett, a Conservative, said: "It is a public space. If I were to go and park my car at Preston Park or Queens Park or anywhere else, I guarantee it would be moved within 12 hours."
One man who had already endured several encounters with the children of the traveller encampment said: "It's relatively peaceful, just a bit irritating."
Sussex Police said they were aware of the problem and were waiting on the council to authorise any further action.
Brighton and Hove Council did not respond to a request for comment.
