Letter: Let’s See In What State the Gypsies and Traveller’s Leave the Common

Published on: 24 Aug, 2017
Updated on: 24 Aug, 2017

From John Fox

The disgusting state of the playing fields left by the last “travellers” in Cobham was appalling. Abandoned cars, human excrement, garden waste… all left to the council and us the local residents to foot the bill.

As a child, when Gypsies turned up all that was usually left was a burnt circle on the ground where the camp fire had been. Not today. Most sites are a trail of destruction on an epic scale once they leave. As for providing waste collection services to illegal campsites… really? Who comes and cleans up the devastation once they have left?

Much of what was left on Cobham’s playing field would not be classified as standard household waste and would not fit in a waste bin.

I would suggest if the image of the “traveller” community is to be improved then applying the appropriate behaviour while on an illegal sites might be a good place to start and may causeothers to be be a little more tolerant of them. But until then I think the public will judge them on what they see rather than through any incorrect assumptions.

Let us see what state Effingham common will be left in shall we?