Peterborough MP demands action over city travellers

An encampment has been set up near the Mancetter Square roundabout on the A15, with a Peterborough City Council spokesperson telling the Peterborough Telegraph yesterday: “We are working with different agencies to determine what, if any, action is necessary.”

But MP Paul Bristow has called on immediate measures to be taken, claiming that local residents have “endured illegal encampments on a yearly basis”.

In a letter to council chief executive Gillian Beasley he said the impact on their lives has been “considerable,” with allegations of anti-social behaviour including fires being lit and rubbish and human waste being left behind.

The MP said new powers promised by the Government, which have yet to become law, will make it easier for police to take action, but that in the meantime “the local authority still has considerable means to act against these unauthorised encampments”.

And while he praised the efforts being made by the council to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, which he acknowledged is its main concern at this time, he added: “We must now allow this to delay action against any illegal encampment.

“I urge you to use all powers available to the local authority to ensure that these travellers are moved on at the earliest opportunity and residents are not impacted.”

Responding to the letter, a spokesperson for Peterborough City Council said: “We are taking the concerns raised in Paul Bristow’s letter seriously and have been closely working with partner agencies including the police since the camp arrived.

“Council enforcement teams are visiting the site in Werrington each day and engaging with the travelling community. We are currently working with partners to determine the appropriate course of action. This is an ongoing situation.”