A large convoy of travellers, who looked very similar to the group who occupied Rye’s Valley Park in recent memory (as shown above), caused some concerns as they headed towards Camber in the past week. But they apparently carried on through Camber and parked up at Lydd overnight, before being last reported in the area of Dymchurch as their progress was tracked and commented on through social media.
Image Credits: Shelley Jebb .
Travellers travel. Wow. Hold the front page. Did this group of human beings do anything wrong? Why are you reporting on people carrying on with their lives? What next? Man leaves home, goes to supermarket, buys food then returns home?
Of course, if there are problems write about them, but if not maybe leave these people in peace rather than encourage others to “track” and “comment” on them.
Disgusting.
Hang on a minute Seana,but the report on these travellers was well justified, as some of these travellers passing through decided to take a detour and broke into the old martello estate on the right hand side of Rye harbour road,causing damage and grief to nearby residents, thankfully they have now been moved on, so lets get both sides of the facts right,before you start criticising others.
That’ll be the bit that the author failed to mention in his original article, had he done so then the article would have had some basis and not just come across as tittle tattle.
Why the photo of Valley Park? Perhaps that particular visit by the travellers affected him directly and was a lazy bit of journalism.
Please can we have articles with subject matter worth reading.
Totally agree Seana. Prejudice is an ugly bedfellow and does not make for a good community.
Absolutely right, John.
The photo of Valley Park was used, as the story says, as this seemed to be the same group that occupied Valley Park. Then I tried to stop them driving across the grass to the playground, and the driver accelerated straight at me, and I had to jump out of the way.
However it was a late story based on “online” chat which could not be checked out at that stage, was too brief – but appears to be confirmed above.
Ironically I was “Head of Gypsies” in Whitehall for three years in the 90s, the only civil servant with a full time job looking after “gypsy issues” – and lots were raised with Ministers.
Indeed one group set fire to a caravan in a railway arch near my home in Camden Town – under a line which at night carried nuclear waste through London. The police were swift to act then.
In this instance the tittle tattle suggested some criminal damage had happened down at Rye Harbour and Camber residents were worried the convoy of travellers would stop off there.
Back in the 90s gypsy reps went to the European Court of Human Rights wanting better treatment. I was there representing the UK government and the judges decided the UK did more than all of the rest of Europe – except for the Dutch.
Travellers were an issue in the 90s and still are 30 years later.
One of them in East London had a good result though. His van had been in the middle of old railway yards for years and he acquired squatter’s rights – and had to be bought out – as it was the Olympic site. One very happy Romany !
Charles Harkness.
They actually tried to settle in the public car parks at Camber but were moved on by the Police, and escorted to Lydd where they set up on The Rype, before being moved on again, stopping at Hythe.
There are camping sites for people to book into. If they did that, like the rest of us, perhaps they wouldn’t be the subject of ridicule?