DERBY Telegraph readers and website visitors have expressed their anger about travellers occupying two prime car parks in the city. At the weekend, more than 40 caravans, vans and trucks piled on to bays in car parks next to Derby County's iPro Stadium and £28 million Velodrome building.
Some moved on to the sites on Saturday and the rest arrived on Sunday. Barriers had been left open, enabling the travellers to set up camp. Pictures of the makeshift gypsy camp on the Derby Telegraph website and Facebook page sparked fury among readers.
Pauline Hodkinson said: "Whenever they leave, or are moved on from somewhere they are not supposed to be, they leave nothing but filth behind them. They pay no council tax. Those of us who do pay will be the ones footing the bill for the clean up."
Antony Jackson criticised the delay in moving them on.
He said: "Political correctness at its finest – they are the scourge of our society and their behaviour is more often than not disgraceful and anti-social. Those in charge need to stop worrying about offending people, especially those that have no issue with offending those around them."
Jade Pickering said the situation made her "laugh" and argued that police "don't care" about moving travellers on.
And May Arthur said: "It's really time this load of wasters were made to stay on the many sites provided and pay taxes like the rest of society.
"Clamp them now and charge them double as the clean up after them is disgusting.
"I, for one, am sick to death of councils pandering to them."
Derby County fan Paul Elston joked: "Maybe they're starting the queue for play-off tickets 10 months early."
And Dave Swarbrook said: "Maybe the England squad have turned up here to learn how a game should really be played."
Janie Berry, director of legal and democratic services at Derby City Council, said the council would be "serving them personally with notice to leave the site" shortly after 3pm yesterday.
She added: "Travellers sometimes leave shortly after service of the notice referred to above.
"If they do not, we will apply to the court for a possession hearing.
"The date of the hearing is not something we can determine, and it can take several days or more to get a hearing date.
"Travellers sometimes leave when the court gives them notice of the hearing date, or on the actual hearing date. If they do not, we then have to ask the court for a warrant to forcibly remove them.
"We have no control over the date of eviction, which is subject to the availability of the bailiffs. It can be as much as two weeks, often less but sometimes more. In all, if the travellers do not comply, the whole process can take two or three weeks.
"The barriers are always left open at night to enable vehicles to exit the car park. In the day, access can be gained by pressing the button next to the barrier."
Some 15 caravans were parked up in a council-owned public car park next to DW Sports Fitness Club, while another six were on parking bays for the velodrome.
There were a further 20 vans and trucks spread across both car parks and some of the vehicles had Irish number plates.
A Derbyshire police spokesman said the group, who had been at Tibshelf Services on the M1 earlier on Sunday before moving south, would be monitored.
It is thought the travellers had previously come from the annual Appleby horse fair in Cumbria.
The Derby Telegraph went to the scene at 8.45am and there was little sign of life, although sleeping adults could be seen through the open windows of some caravans.
A couple of kids were wondering around the car park in bare feet. Rubbish bags were beginning to mount up, while washing was hanging out to dry.
