Lyme Regis Town Council is aware of the traveller encampment at Anning Road Playing Field, which is owned by the town council.
The council has a policy and procedure in place to address gypsy and traveller encampments and we are implementing this. We have legal duties we have to meet and we are adhering to these, while also being aware of the concerns of the local community.
We have visited the site to speak to the community, assess the impact of the encampment and establish the intentions of the community. This was a friendly exchange and the community understood the sensitivity of being located on a children’s playing field and in a residential area.
The community agreed to dispose of rubbish properly, to clean up after their animals, to keep noise to a minimum, especially late at night, and to leave the site as they found it. They are aware there is CCTV on the site and the council can monitor this.
We have informed the police about the situation and also the gypsy and traveller liaison officer at Dorset Council. Discussions are ongoing and we will issue further updates when we have them.
We will be visiting the site each day to actively monitor the situation and we already have an indication of when they will be leaving the site.