Let's have a meeting...shall we!

[Sorastro]

Having read in today's D.T. about "travellers" parked on Queens park cricket pitch, hats off to the swift way they were dealt with, approx 24 hours, but why oh why do you have to literally jump through hoops to get anything done, mostly it's still too little too late.

Having perused the web it seems these people {and I use the term loosely} are making a bee line for cricket pitches and parks, nothing new there, but by the time the local authorities get their ars*s in gear and had them removed the damage has been done. I read of one incident were approximately 35 vans were finally moved on and the local authority had to pay a 4 figure sum to the bailiffs, then the expense of the cleanup operation and these travellers are just moved on with no penalty and just go and do the same somewhere else.
It's time these people were made responsible for their actions and appropriate fines imposed.

[Old Cruser]

Totally agree with you.
I was in the new Queens park leisure centre earlier this year when camper vans rolled in.
The staff were agitated and nipping about to see  where they had gone ( round the back ? ).
Eventually they vans returned back to the car park ( which is payable after three hours i think ) and parked up.
One staff member remarked apart from reporting it there wasn't much they could do.

Putting a barrier on there isn't a practical idea but I would have thought a barrier to the Cricket field would be one resolution?

So they were there for maybe a couple of days - or three?
Did they pay the parking fees?
Why can't they be clamped?

[Umpire]

I dropped my wife at the Leisure Centre yesterday and noticed they have put a height restrictor on the entrance so hopefuuly that should help.
With regard to them going into the Queens Park apparently they deliberately went on to the cricket field rather than the grass area near the bandstand.The reason being that they tried to blackmail the council into paying out so they can get the ferry back to Ireland.The council refused and took action.