Fury at rubbish left behind by travellers
THESE shocking images show the churned up earth and rubbish left behind after travellers moved on from sites across Birmingham over the weekend.
Mounds of rubbish were dumped at sites which were occupied by travellers in Selly Park, Quinton and Bromford.
Councillor Majid Mahmood shot a video showing discarded gas canisters, rubbish, beer bottles, boards and carpet left scat- tered across Bromford Drive Park in Hodge Hill after travellers left the site at the weekend.
Highfield Park, between Quinton and Bartley Green, was also left looking like a ‘state’ when a convoy moved on Saturday and left on Sunday.
The invasion was witnessed by Cllr Des Flood, who said he was furious that travellers continued to move on to parks in the south of Birmingham ‘at will’.
Cllr Flood said: “It’s a state. The heavy caravans and 4X4s have churned up the grass which will cost thousands to repair. They have damaged the wooden and perimeter fencing and used chainsaws on them.
“There is the bill to pick up the rubbish. We fine people for dropping cigarette butts in the city centre and these travellers can drop litter at will and nothing happens to them.
“It’s been non-stop since last year and with the summer months coming up, it’s going to be a cat and mouse game between the police and the local authority.”
Meanwhile, council officers were left to clean up Selly Park after it was taken over by a group for the sixth time in nine months last week. The travellers parked around 50 vehicles on the green off Raddlebarn Road on Tuesday night and left on Saturday.
Resident Mark Field said: “It’s worse than ever before. The mess was horrific. It’s scattered all over the football pitches and walkways. It’s a big clean-up job.”
Mark Croxford, head of environmental health at Birmingham City Council, said recently: “The council is committed to actively protecting its land and will take steps to recover this land where illegal encampments encroach upon it.”