Travellers get through council’s £15,000 defence to protect field

It took a group of travellers just seconds to get onto a stadium’s ground – after they removed several £15,000 bollards that were installed to stop them.

The group made their way onto the King George V Stadium playing fields in Grimsby, on Friday night.

The break-in came after the council fitted 120 wooden and metal bollards to stop illegal encampments.

The travellers have set up seven caravans around the play park at the stadium, and also have a number of cars and construction vehicles.

It is understood that they have been offering to work on the driveways of a number of local residents.

It is understood that the travellers took just seconds to get through the bollards designed to prevent vehicles getting access to the grassy area.

It appeared bolt cutters had been used to remove padlocks keeping the metal ones in place, then lifted them out of the ground.

None of the wooden bollards were damaged.

On Facebook there was widespread dismay over the breach of security.

One resident said: ‘What about the very expensive fence that the council put up last year to stop them staying?’

Another said: ‘The wooden barrier posts did a lot of good then. Give them some big bins to put all their rubbish in before booting them off!’

Last year local residents reacted in fury after a group of travellers by-passed the security bollards and pitched up on the playing field.

Then Steven Whitworth, a retired police inspector who lives nearby said: ‘I’m not happy to know we’re probably going to lose the field for two-and-a-half or three weeks.

‘I don’t think there’s any way to stop them gaining access – I thought the bollards would be a waste of money, and I’m sure if the council put a gate in, that wouldn’t stop them.’

Following the travellers gaining access last year, the council said that it had spent an hour clearing waste from the field, which was primarily bagged waste and litter.

North East Lincolnshire Council has spent the last number of years looking for a area where it could create a designated stopover site for travellers, which would give them and the police greater powers to take action against illegal encampments.

A consultation was held previously that identified five possible locations and one preferred site.

Orwell Street/Nacton Street car park was the preferred choice, but after a backlash from local residents and businesses, the site was no longer deemed to be suitable and another consultation has been launched.

Following the failed consultation, that only looked at council land for a stopover site, the previous Labour administration said that it would look at the possibility of purchasing private land to create one.

However, currently there has been no suggestion that a stopover site has been identified.