Security talks over Shrewsbury traveller problem

Shrewsbury Town Council's Recreation and Leisure Committee is set to discuss the proposals at its meeting this evening, following a two-week encampment earlier this year.

The travellers had stayed at Springfield Recreation Ground for two weeks while council officers sought legal permission to remove them – an action complicated by a human rights issue as one of the travellers was set to give birth while camping at the site.

The council was required to carry out a clean-up after the group had moved on and now councillors are to look at introducing new security measures which would prevent people camping on the site in future.

Helen Ball, town clerk, said: "Obviously residents get very concerned about gipsy encampments but we have to follow due process by the law, otherwise we would get no further with the eviction notice.

"There was a discussion at the last recreation and leisure meeting where councillors said we should look to fence the whole site off but it is about how practical that is.

"Residents like the openness of the site so we have to manage the risks of it happening again as opposed to residents' enjoyment of the area.

"There are some areas that we need to do up but we don't want to create an environment with bollards that detracts from people's enjoyment."

Mrs Ball said that councillors had to strike a balance between providing an amenity for public use and preventing it being used as a campsite.

"This is the first time in a long time we have had any instances so do we look to barrier it off so we do not get any future occurrences, or is that detrimental to local people who want to use it? There has to be a balance."