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Fury over travellers' camp-sites
SHOCKED residents say they are deeply concerned after travellers moved on to two sites on the Fylde coast.
Neighbours in the Hardhorn area near Poulton say a group of people moved on to a field off Fairfield Road last week and began to lay hardcore foundations over the weekend.
One local resident said it was like "a military operation," as the group worked through the night under lights to set up the camp.
A similar site has also emerged in Preesall but it is not known if the two are related.
Wyre Council says 12 caravans were taken onto land off Lancaster Road and hardcore was laid over the weekend.
Local residents say they are furious and have urged Fylde Council which deals with the Fairfield site and Wyre Council to take action.
A tearful Louise Bowling, who bought part of the affected area in Hardhorn 14 months ago, said she was devastated after being forced to move her horse and pony because of fears for their safety.
She said when she bought the site it was split into eight developments for horses to roam.
"One of the guys from the site approached me and told me I would have to sell the land," she said. "It's devastating and it seems there's nothing I can do."
In a letter to local councillors, one nearby resident raised concerns about noise, road safety and a potential drop in house prices and said he and his wife had not been able to sleep due to noise from the site.
The travellers groups are believed to own the land.
But council chiefs say if they are setting up a caravan site without planning permission they are in breach of regulations.
Both authorities are looking into legal action and Fylde Council has issued a stop work notice to the group at the site on Fairfield Road. A similar notice is expected to be served in Preesall soon.
Coun Trevor Fiddler, Fylde's head of planning and development control, said: "A temporary stop notice was served on Saturday to prevent any engineering work being carried out on this rural site.
"If inspections confirm report that this notice has been ignored then we will be considering what legal action in terms of breach in planning regulations can be taken.
Garry Payne, director of planning and regeneration for Wyre Council, added: "Importation of hardcore without a licence is being investigated by the Environment Agency and they may consider a separate course of action that might involve prosecution."
The Gazette visited the site on Fairfield Road, where a number of caravans are already in situ, and spoke to a man at the camp.
He declined to give his name but said: "We had nowhere to live, the council had no place to put us and we bought this site.
"We have 30 kids here and people with medical problems.
"We don't want to cause trouble or be a burden to the local community."
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Weather for Blackpool
Wednesday 30 May 2012
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Temperature: 12 C to 20 C
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