TRAVELLERS are still occupying part of a public car park at a Poole beauty spot, despite telling council officers they would be moving on last weekend.

Two more vans appeared on Sunday night, taking up a further section of the Harbourside car park in Catalina Drive, Baiter. The council has served the group with an eviction notice and is due to go to court on Thursday seeking to have it confirmed.

Overnight, twenty traveller caravans have also arrived at Slades Farm. Cllr Rod Cooper said: "The council usually acts really quickly to deal with this. I can't remember any travellers having settled there before." 

Andy McDonald, Parks Manager, Parks and Open Spaces, said; “Our council officers have taken swift action following a recent unauthorised encampment in Slades Farm.

They are doing all they can, taking the necessary legal action to move them on as soon as possible. In the meantime, our Council officers are visiting the site on a regular basis to monitor the situation.”

Pressure is building for Poole council to consider changing its policy of not enforcing parking charges and fines when travellers take up spaces in public car parks.

Parkstone Cllr Ann Stribley plans to raise the issue with council officers. “I think it’s the message it gives to other people. Yes, it could be costly – it could cost more than we collect – but if vehicles are licensed, we know where they are based.”

She added that not enforcing parking charges for travellers was unfair and discriminatory to other people. “If we can give free parking for travellers, we should give free parking for residents. I just think we have to be seen to be fair,” she said.

Cllr Xena Dion, cabinet portfolio holder for transportation, said: “We do not condone anyone parking in a public car park without displaying a valid car parking ticket and would expect our staff to carry out their enforcement duties in a fair manner.

“In the past, we have dedicated additional resource to pursue unpaid penalty charge notices when there may be no fixed abode. However, this course of action is costly and typically the success rate for recovery of unpaid PCNs is quite low.

“Given the relatively small number of unauthorised encampments in Poole, we do not consider it cost effective to continue with this course of action. We do understand residents’ frustration and it is something that we may look at reviewing in the future.”

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