Travellers pitch up near Telford motorway services

The group has moved on from land on Newport Road, Shifnal, to fields near to the Welcome Break service station at junction four of the M54.

About six or seven caravans were today on the land.

But there was confusion over which organisation was responsible for taking action to remove the illegal camp.

Gareth Proffitt, a spokesman for Shropshire Council, said the council was aware the travellers had moved from Newport Road but said the land was not council land and was the responsibility of the Highways Agency.

However, Highways Agency spokeswoman Pragati Baddhan said the agency was only responsible for the roads, not the land around it.

West Mercia Police spokesman Richard Ewels said the force was only responsible for overseeing peaceful movement of travellers as they left a site.

Last week it was revealed that plans were being put in place to plough up verges along the B4379 Newport Road after the illegal traveller camp appeared there.

Shifnal Town Council has written to Shropshire Council to see if it can plough up the roadside verges to prevent them from returning.

A similar tactic had already been used along some of the verges close to the Welcome Break service station to discourage travellers, but this group has found another patch of land close to the site.

In Telford, giant sandbags had been used to deter travellers from pitching up on the Stafford Park industrial estate.

Businesses and residents throughout Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin have been forced to come up with a number of schemes to prevent travellers camping on car parks and open land.

Many claim that illegal encampments stop businesses from trading properly and that the cost of cleaning up rubbish left behind is too high.