For seven days, a group of caravans, horses and dogs occupied a green space in Birmingham. In that time, horses visited people’s front gardens and council refuse trucks cancelled a journey. Now, with the encampment gone, a reporter from our sister title the Birmingham Mail has visited the site
It’s approaching 11am on a brilliant sunny Wednesday and I’m standing outside Highfield Farm Recreation Ground in Quinton.
The initial indication that something’s amiss is the lack of youngsters on the play equipment or climbing frame and the deserted football pitch.
Remarkably, no dog walkers or residents are pausing for a conversation, but uniformed council staff have already gathered 200 sacks of litter as the sunshine blazes down upon their shoulders.
This marks the first complete day since a traveller encampment finally departed after arriving on August 3.
During those seven days, roughly 40 caravans accompanied by horses and dogs occupied this precious community area adjacent to Woodgate Valley and the M5 as their residence, reports Birmingham Live.
Households kept away and a highly anticipated visit by the council’s refuse lorries on Saturday morning was called off.
Councillor Sam Forsyth described it as “the worst incursion in terms of duration and severity” and a clean-up operation is in progress to clear the debris and sanitise the site of three varieties of excrement, starting with horse manure at the entrance to the playground.
Among the debris lies a gas canister, a nail-embedded stick, an invoice book for a driveways and landscaping company, rolls of soiled toilet tissue and more besides. She said: “The clean-up started on Saturday with volunteers and we went along Highfield Lane and filled 10 bags of rubbish.
“We couldn’t get on to the park because of the dogs and horses. Environmental Health is coming today or tomorrow to decontaminate the bushes of human, horse and dog poo.
“The horses were being walked up and down Dwellings Lane and went into the school (grounds).
“They had to cut off the water meters at Stourton Lane allotments.
“This has become a bad problem in South Birmingham because of the open parks.”
Coun Forsyth wants to “get the word out” so the public return and is also exploring ways to prevent another invasion.
“I’m talking with parks about either fencing it off completely or building ditches but if we close it off, we will cause more traffic, especially when the schools are back on.”
Eventually, Chris Coons, 45, and his nine-year-old son Freddie begin kicking a ball around on the courts.
He said: “This is the first time we have been here, I’ve been driving past several times and saw the situation and wouldn’t stop if they were here.
“We saw the horses walking down Highfield Lane, sticking their heads into peoples’ gardens and pooing.”
His son added: “When they were here, I really wanted to play but we would go to Queens Park.”
A mother and her five young children briefly enjoy themselves for the first time in a week.
She said: “I came on Tuesday and saw horses and caravans and we went back home.
“This the closest place and we are happy to be back.”