TAXPAYERS have been left to foot a clean-up bill after gipsies who had left "a trail of destruction" at a north Lincolnshire site were finally evicted.
North Lincolnshire Council first sent a notice to the gipsies to vacate the Conesby Quarry site on Friday July 25, giving them four weeks to move.
The council says they didn't pay rent, were abusive and were threatening to officers and police, as
well as sparking many complaints from local residents.
Although officials arranged for waste to be collected, the site, off Normanby Road, Scunthorpe, was left strewn with rubbish.
Among the debris were piles of stripped-out cables. A lamppost had also been hacked down, possibly for scrap, and the site hut vandalised.
The council was granted a possession order last Wednesday, giving the gipsies two days to move from the site, one of seven proposed gipsy and traveller sites in the area.
Coun Mick Grant said the Conesby Quarry site would only be reopened if there were security measures in place.
He said: "I have nothing against gipsies using our land, and the vast majority are sensible and law-abiding. But these are some of the worst families that I've come across.
"I, along with many others, received lots of complaints about them and their appalling behaviour. It is hoped that those nearby can now have peace and quiet.
"I am just glad that they have gone. We now have the job of cleaning up the mess."
No figures have been given yet of how much the damage will cost. Consultation over the proposed sites, including Caistor Road, Barton, two sites on Falkland Way, Barton and three on Station Road, Brigg, ends on September 19.
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