The Gypsy Travellers

All too often there’s a group of gypsy travellers that come to these parts. They arrive in their droves, find a bit of land and, not caring for its upkeep nor its surroundings, plonk their caravans, cars, trash and God knows what else on the land.

It's an insult, it's unacceptable, it's polluting yet they get away with it thanks to big, gapping loopholes in the law.

The clearing up of this camp has cost about £6,500! The taxpayer pays that. And I know how frustrating that is, though I'm no taxpayer now, it still gets on my tramping moobs!

I went to the area where they'd recently moved from; a bit of land in Estover not far from Wrigley’s and Twofour. Before the gypsy travellers arrived it was just grass where dog walkers and children would throw sticks and Frisbees and kick balls. Now the grass is churned up with muddy tyre tracks.

The bins and skips provided by the council are still there too. At least they got rid of the portaloo.

But somebody - maybe the council - has created judiciously placed mud mounds to stop anybody returning. Good on whoever's responsible, but how many other places need that same treatment before it's too bloody late?

I may not pay my taxes like these gypsy traveller types might neither, but I would never disrespect the land. I’m at one with nature and Plymouth.