Fear and loathing over travellers

Fear dominates the way politicians deal with illegal traveller sites. Or, rather, the way they avoid dealing with them. That is why taxpayers in Yorkshire have been left with bills of tens of thousands of pounds to clean up and secure sites.

The only thing that unites the warring sides in this debate is the belief that MPs have failed to tackle the issue. It is about time this changed because the cost, in terms of pounds, local perception and prejudice has become too great.

Political leaders in Westminster have been reluctant to talk about illegal traveller sites for fear of fanning residents' anger. Local councillors around the country talk tough but don't want to make firm pledges because they know how hard it is to remove travellers.

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Meanwhile, people living near traveller sites, and the inhabitants themselves, co-exist in mutual fear and suspicion. In such a

climate, that is certainly understandable but it is not right.

Illegal traveller sites have to be closed. There is no other way to deal with the problem. The noise and filth emanating from such camps can be unbearable and, along with the occasional moments of hostility between travellers and their neighbours, pose a threat to a traditional community's way of life.

The answer, however, is not simply to shunt off travellers into a corner where they will be left as pariahs. A problem that has been a running political issue for decades can only be solved by finding some kind of permanent home for travellers and persuading them they would be best served by using it. The alternative is for them to perpetually wander from community to community, meeting anger wherever they go, and jeopardising the education of their children.

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Therefore it is not just the rest of society that has to change, but travellers themselves. While they may have been victims of prejudice on countless occasions, their open defiance of the law will not persuade anyone to listen to their complaints.

The lead has to come from Westminster, however. If David Cameron comes to power then his plan to give police the power to arrest trespassers who refuse to move on would be a start – providing he is not afraid to stick with it.