Wall of cars to keep the travellers away
NEIGHBOURS formed a blockade with their cars to stop travellers setting up camp on their village green, it emerged yesterday.
Locals took action after police said there was little that officers could do to stop the travellers moving in.
Caravans had moved on to the green in the seaside town of Kinmel Bay, North Wales, last Thursday – prompting ‘48 hours of hell’.
Locals said stones had been thrown at their homes and they had been abused in the street, while they even accused members of the travelling community of defecating in a nearby alleyway.
Tensions boiled over on Saturday when a car window was smashed and 150 neighbours gathered to confront the travellers before police had to form a cordon between the two groups.
Steve Lee, 63, who lives near the green, said: ‘The children and adults were swearing at us, stones were thrown at our houses, they were using a gully as a toilet and leaving human waste and toilet paper there. We were abused and the children were trying garage doors, front doors, and car doors to see if they were unlocked.
‘We had 48 hours of hell on earth. The police said they couldn’t do anything because there were less than six caravans there.
‘They told us they had 38 calls about them in 24 hours.’
Mr Lee said that, when the rear window of his car was smashed, ‘people power’ took over. ‘There were 150 residents on the street,’ he said.
‘Eight or nine police cars and ten or 12 officers turned up and formed a cordon between us and the travellers, who were laughing at us and being abusive.
‘The travellers started singing, “Ha, ha, IRA,” at us and said we should get used to it because they lived there now. It just blew up. We had had enough.
‘They said they know where I live and they will come back and get me and they threatened to kill one of my neighbours.’
It is understood officers persuaded the travellers to move to land at the former Prestatyn police station nearby. The locals then parked their cars around the green to stop the travellers returning or any others from moving in.
Mr Lee’s wife Angela, 59, called for a change in the law.
‘They are above the law,’ she said. ‘The system is weighted unfairly towards the travelling community. The police called us inciteful for coming out together but we feel safer in numbers, because it’s been very scary.’
North Wales Police confirmed that there had been reports of criminal damage but said no arrests were made.
Local councillor Nigel Smith said he understood one traveller family in particular was involved and he met with council officials yesterday to look at ways of protecting residents from the group.
He said: ‘Travellers may have the right to wander our country but the way this particular family behaved is totally unacceptable.’