Move to evict travellers from Downs site

BRISTOL City Council is in the process of evicting a group of travellers who have set up on park land opposite Bristol Zoo.

Around half a dozen caravans are parked on Clifton Down, on a spot between Ladies Mile and Bristol City Council’s parks depot.

Downs supervisor Ben Skuse from the council’s parks department said the travellers arrived last week, and had been driving their vehicles across the grass, to and from the encampment.

He spoke about the issue at a public meeting on Monday, after a councillor said she had received a phonecall from a resident who was “terrified” by a car driving across The Downs.

Clifton councillor Paula O’Rourke, a member of the committee charged with managing The Downs, said: “She says she was with an 81-year-old man last night, quietly walking their dogs at twilight, and a car came around a bush very quickly.

“This has become a bit of an issue.”

Mr Skuse said he would “strongly suspect” the incident was linked to the encampment.

“[It] really makes me annoyed,” he told the Downs Committee.

“The vehicle movements are what trouble me most of all.

“The way that they insist on bringing their vehicles on and off the road onto where their caravans are situated.

“It’s pretty unregulated and at times has to be dangerous given how busy we are at times.

“They’ve been here for six, seven days now. Our usual process is in play of removal.

“I hope more than anyone that that eviction can take place as soon as possible and we will begin the inevitable clear-up which is also another associated problem.”