Bannisters Field Travellers Want To Stay Until Friday

Published on: 2 Sep, 2013
Updated on: 2 Sep, 2013

On of the treveller's caravans with Tesco's supermarket in the background

On of the traveller’s caravans with Tesco’s supermarket in the background

Travellers who returned to Bannisters Field near Tesco’s supermarket have said that they do not want to move on until Friday.

Councillor Julia McShane (Lib Dem, Westborough) who has been monitoring the situation and keeping local residents informed via Facebook, was surprised to hear of the departure date. She had anticipated they would leave today.

The travellers were keen to point out that all caravans are equipped with showers

The group of travellers, comprising five caravans, originate from Dublin but moved to England 28 years ago and say that they now consider themselves to be “English citizens”. Some, although clearly younger than 28 years old, still have Irish accents as they have grown up within the travelling community and taken on the accents of their families.

They said that they all prefer to live as travellers in caravans, without any particular schedule, and would continue to do so even if permanent homes were offered.

Two of the group are young expectant mothers who, it was claimed, have outpatient appointments at the nearby Royal Surrey County Hospital. This, it was said, was one of the main reasons for them selecting Bannisters field.

Members of the group spoken to this morning (Sepetember 2) said that they were keen to dispel any impressions that they are dirty: “Some people think that we don’t have showers but we do. All our caravans have them.” They added that they fully intended to leave the site clean and tidy, as they did when they visited a fortnight ago.

“We even clear up after others who do leave their litter behind,” one said, pointing out a man observed to leave litter behind, from a snack taken on the field, during the interview.

The traveller group with the rubbish skip and recycling bins, provided by the council. in the foreground

Guildford Borough Council has provided a rubbish skip and recycling bins and the travellers said that they had no complaints about the treatment they had received from the councillors or from members of the public, most of whom had been friendly. “There has been no hassle,” said one.

A council spokesperson said: “The travellers accessed the site by driving over a shrubbery at the edge of the field.” This morning the gate to the site had been opened. It is understood that the council did this so that the travellers could access the site without causing any damage.