Bailiffs are on site this morning (April 3) carrying out the enforced removal of a Traveller community at the Chine in Ramsgate.
The group has been at the Westcliff since March 14 and are believed to be part of a group who had been moved on from the Sunken Gardens in Westbrook. Prior to that the group was at Dane Valley Green after being moved from the Marina Esplanade car park in Ramsgate.
A court order was served last month but was ignored.
Residents had complained to the authorities about a build up of discarded rubbish and human waste. A clearance was carried out by volunteers and then by council staff.
A Thanet council spokesperson said: “Thanet District Council submitted an application for removal to the Court for the traveller group based at The Chine in Ramsgate in March. The order was granted however, the group did not move on, prompting officers to engage bailiffs to facilitate removal. This took place today.”
UPDATE: Some of the Chine group have now stopped at the East Cliff by the Granville Cinema.
Thanet currently does not have an authorised site with the nearest being in Aylesham and Dover.
The Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT) group say there is a national shortage of Gypsy and Traveller sites and available stopping places in the UK. The group’s research shows there has been only been a 2% increase in socially rented pitches available between 2010 and 2017.
An FFT spokesman previously told The Isle of Thanet News that sites should be made available, saying: “We would recommend that the district council and local authority work with the Traveller community in the area to identify land that would be suitable for building new sites to accommodate these residents.”
I’m not against travellers their entitlement to have a way of life that suits them. That’s fine it should be far more official places for these people may be having one in Thanet somewhere including necessary facilities for a small charge could possibly help to keep it maintained. I hate to say it but it appears that these people leave a load of rubbish where ever they go.Thay want us to help them as I think we should they’ve got to start behaving in a proper manner when in a area or anybody else’s in other words show a bit of respect for other people.
Why should the tax payers foot the bill, bloody travelers, theiving,dirty lot,steal anything even if it is cemented to the ground, what about checking insurance, parking fees, use off red diesel the authority are scared of upsetting them.
“The Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT) group say there is a national shortage of Gypsy and Traveller sites and available stopping places in the UK”. Not surprising when they make themselves so unwelcome with the mess they make and total disregard of all the rules the rest of us try to adhere to. I’m sure if they were more responsible there would be far less opposition.