Travellers at church convention accused of anti-social behaviour

A church convention and dozens of caravans arrived on Saturday on private land between Jubilee and Jacksdale.

Householders say a small minority of the travellers are intimidating them, with anti-social behaviour including urinating and defacating in public view.

Mother of two Gemma Fletcher, of Jubilee said: ”It has brought hundreds of caravans and travellers to a tiny area that is private arable land with the landowners permission but residents were not informed.

“There’s a lot of antisocial behaviour including many vans of people regularly queuing past houses on a private driveway to use a shortcut through on to the recreation ground.

“They are urinating and deficating on there in plain sight of residents and in surrounding trees, It is disgusting and if anyone else did it the police would be ont them straight away.

“Local residents are virtually prisoners in their own homes with the intimidating behaviour going on and the traffic including dangerously driving out in to traffic on the bend, wheel spinning, horn sounding and constantly driving around houses.

“We understand the farmer who owns the fields has given them permission to use it for the open air event but it is the antisocial behaviour experienced constantly on residential areas and the public recreation ground that is having such an impact,”

Selston councillor Sam Wilson said police and Ashfield PCSOs were monitoring the situation.

He said: “I can understand the fears of residents of Jubilee Road. It is the school holidays and they are afraid of going on to the recreation grounds and fear they are imprisoned.

The travellers have been invited for an event on private land which we have been told will end on Thursday.

“It seems that a small minority of people are responsible.”

More when we have it.