Peterborough showground takes action after travellers move from Lynch Wood

Travellers have set up camp on near the East of England Showground.

A number of caravans, which had previously been set up at Lynch Wood, have now moved to land on East of England Way, which is owned by the East of England Agricultural Society. The land is just outside the main showground gates.

A spokesperson for the society said: “No damage has been caused as far we can tell at this stage, and we have commenced the process necessary to have them moved on.”

Earlier this week, Orton Waterville ward councillor Julie Stevenson sent a message to residents on social media, giving people a map advising them of a route avoiding the camp, after reports of human waste being found on the footpaths.

North West Cambridgeshire MP Shailesh Vara called on police to take action to move the travellers on – and prosecute them if necessary – saying: “I am writing to Nick Dean, the chief constable of Cambridgeshire Police, and councillor Wayne Fitzgerald, leader of Peterborough City Council, asking them to take urgent action.

”The Government has given additional powers to the police to use in these circumstances, and both I and the public expect those powers to be used.”

Last week Peterborough MP Paul Bristow also called for police to use powers to prosecute travellers who set un unauthorised camps in Peterborough, saying the city had become a soft touch when it came to tackling the issue.