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Ticket trouble for traveller caravans UPDATED
Traveller caravans moved into a Leeds leisure centre car park – and had parking tickets slapped on them.
Specialist liaison officers from Leeds City Council were yesterday still speaking with the group of travellers, who are thought to have rolled into Pudsey Leisure Centre car park overnight on Wednesday. (February 1)
One eyewitness said: “There were three or four caravans and one of the council wardens had ticketed them in the car park.
“They were in the front car park which has a two-hour short stay waiting area, so that’s probably why they got the ticket.”
An employee at Pudsey Leisure Centre said: “Liaison officers have been speaking to them [the travellers] all morning.”
As reported in the YEP earlier this week, travellers face jail if they breach a planned permanent legal ban on unauthorised camps around the city.
Councillors are currently briefing their legal team to bring an injunction banning travellers from Armley, Wortley and Holbeck.
A Leeds City Council spokeswoman said of the Pudsey convoy: “We are aware of an unauthorised encampment at Pudsey Leisure Centre. A site visit has taken place and we are now following our usual procedures in line with Government guidance.”
Negotiations were still thought to be continuing yesterday, and the possibility of a court injunction being put to the convoy.
Unauthorised camps have have cost Leeds City Council nearly £2 million in legal and clean-up costs since 2004.
Potential court action over a convoy of caravans which took over Pudsey’s railway station car park for four days last February was averted at the last minute.
Extra rail staff had been drafted in to deal with any resulting commuter chaos after 18 caravans parked up at New Pudsey station car park – taking up a third of the spaces.
In the past week, metal gates have been erected to block off an area next to Wortley Towers, in Tong Road, New Wortley, where travellers recently set up a camp. An area of Burley already has an injunction in place banning travellers.
Last month, the Government gave the council £1m for 12 new permanent traveller pitches in Leeds.
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
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