A large group of travellers have returned to a popular Birmingham beauty spot which the council is struggling to reclaim for locals.
Some 16 caravans yet again pitched up on Swanshurst Park, near the affluent suburb of Moseley, on Sunday, with around a dozen still there this morning.
Residents have told how the group, who also occupied the park in May and October last year, had returned to the green space ‘exactly one week’ after they left.
A nearby resident said there were ’16 caravans and at least one horse plus vehicles’ on the green on Sunday night.
It comes amid a wave of groups of travellers parking up in beauty spots and car parks around the country.
Earlier this month, dozens of vehicles and trailers parked up on playing fields in a Birmingham park, while another group last week ‘ran riot’ at a Tesco superstore in West Sussex, harassing shoppers and stealing food.
Then over the weekend, some 50 travellers wreaked havoc in a popular Surrey village known as ‘Britain’s Beverly Hills’.
Now, those living near Swanshurst Park are facing a fresh influx of caravans blighting their beauty spot.
Pictured: Caravans take over Swanshurst Park on Monday, having returned after being moved on
The travellers also occupied the park in May and October last year forcing the council to step in again to remove them
Residents have previously told how the group ‘aren’t short of a few bob’ after admiring their luxury live-in vehicles
When MailOnline visited the park earlier this month, residents living nearby told how the group ‘aren’t short of a few bob’ after admiring their luxury live-in vehicles.
Birmingham City Council has pledged to ‘take steps to recover land’ when unauthorised encampments were set up. They said a clean-up had taken place last week after a group of travellers departed.
The travellers also occupied the park in May and October last year forcing the council to step in again to remove them.
Retired bin man Roy Wilson, 69, lives just a few doors away from the camp and says travellers regularly stay at the beauty spot.
Earlier this month, when the travellers returned, he said: ‘They’ve been on there for some time and they come from time to time.
‘It used to be frequently used. The weather’s changing and they come and use it, lasting about three or four days before they get moved on.
‘I’ve lived here for 50 years and they’ve been coming here for 40 odd.
‘I haven’t heard of any trouble here but I know they leave mess. I don’t know if anyone has had run-ins or issues with them.
‘Whether they’ll be moved on in the next couple of days, who knows. They go in a week usually.
Birmingham City Council has pledged to ‘take steps to recover land’ when unauthorised encampments were set up. Pictured: Caravans in the park on April 14
Dozens of vehicles and trailers were also parked up on playing fields at Swanshurst Park, in Birmingham on April 3 (pictured)
‘It’s an average amount for the caravans here. Whether people have had other problems who knows.
‘They’re not short of a few bob are they? Some nice caravans there. They’ve got it good.’
Resident Diane Parker said the travellers have been using the beauty spot as a camp for six years and they usually wake her up driving their cars on the grass at night.
The 73-year-old said: ‘They’ve been coming here for roughly six years. I think there’s an injunction against them.
‘What would the police do if I was over there with a caravan and a car? We’ve seen young lads driving 4×4 around and the police didn’t think.
‘They churn up the grass. They don’t pay council tax.
‘I don’t know why [the council] put all the tree trunks around if they can get on [the grass] anyway. The huge tree trunks are meant to stop them.
‘I can’t say I’ve had any trouble. But it isn’t fair is it really for us, if we did it the story would be different.’
A mother-of-three said those on the park should be offered a travellers permit so that they can clear up their rubbish legally.
The 42-year-old said: ‘It’s the mess that they leave is the real issue. There can be bags piled high of rubbish and the council have to come and clean it up.
A large group of travellers also descended on a car park at a Tesco superstore in Littlehampton, West Sussex, this month
Meanwhile, there were chaotic scenes inside a packed village pub in Surrey on Saturday afternoon, with a man (circled) seen grabbing bottles from behind the bar
Travellers riding horses and carts ran roughshod through leafy Surrey on Saturday as they caused chaos by driving through red lights and crashing into cars
‘The problem is that they have no fixed address so they can’t use the local tips, and they’re not going to take it all with them.
‘They need like a travellers permit or a register, something like that. So they can legally clean up.
‘The council tried putting wooden fences up but that doesn’t really stop them, they just get cut down.
‘They’re quite quiet but their dogs run loose. Years back you could go over there and they’d offer you a drink but I wouldn’t go there now.
‘I’ve got dogs and I wouldn’t want to be near their dogs when they’re loose. They come and go, like on a loop, hopping around other spots.
‘I don’t go on the park now anyway. The playground has been broken thanks to the locals so we avoid it anyway.’
Another mother on the street said she’d heard them churning up the greenery a few times.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘We try and not take notice of them. We leave them to it but if there’s any trouble we let the police know.
‘This time around we haven’t heard anything. What we notice is the mess. Apart from that they’re quite quiet.
A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: ‘Birmingham City Council is committed to actively protecting its land and will take steps to recover this land where unauthorised encampments encroach upon it.
‘The council has useable transit sites and plots for use by the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community – which is in line with Government policy – and details of the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment carried out and updated in 2019 can be found on our website.’