Travellers Return To Ealing Common

Council looking at ' longer term' options to prevent it happening again

( pic local resident via http://ealingcommon.yourcllr.com/)

Travellers have again returned to Ealing Common forcing the police and council to intervene.

The encampment is reported to have arrived last week, local ward Councillor Joanna Dabrowska, who has dealt with the issue several times, wrote: '' Many residents have reported to us about the latest encampment on Ealing Common. The Police were called out to a disturbance on the Common on Saturday night with council officers attending on Sunday. We have been informed that they will be leaving tonight. Fingers crossed.''

An Ealing council spokesperson said:

“As soon as we were aware that travellers had set up camp we took action and visited the site to begin the checks and assessments we are legally obliged to carry out. We are now taking the next steps to resolve this situation.

“We have an official site in the borough specifically for travellers and Ealing Common is not suitable for a camp of this type. We are now looking at longer-term options for preventing this kind of encampment in the future.”

Last year there was a lengthy legal battle to evict travellers from the common - the group then moved to the other side of the road.

The ongoing issues with encampments have led to suggestions that bollards or fencing be put up around Ealing Common.

9th May 2017