The last of the Gypsies and Travellers encamped on the King George V Playing Fields at Effingham left today.
After three-quarters of the caravans had departed yesterday (Friday, September 1, 2017) nearby residents reported that the remaining four caravans had also departed at around 5pm. But a few minutes later the same four were seen to drive back on to the King George V playing fields, eventually pitching on a different area of the fields, closer to the A246 Guildford Road.
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Actually the clean up was a joint effort between residents and trustees, but we certainly spent 5 hours doing so.
…looked not too bad when I went through – well driven on but I saw only a small amount churned up and you did a good job cleaning up.
Do they get off scott-free breaking locks & leaving a mess?
What can be done to prevent this happening again?
I’ve just posted the following comment on the Dragon story:
We certainly don’t deserve sole credit for the clean-up. Parish Councillor Keith Cornwell was out there for some hours with a long-handled ‘poop-scoop’ dealing with some very unpleasant waste, and three other residents came out to help, having realised that now the Travellers have gone there is a clear-up task to be done.
One father brought his children along to help, complete with rubber gloves. He told us they wanted to ‘do their bit for the village’. That to me is the true spirit of Effingham people; not the disgraceful events reported in earlier stories on the Dragon.
I didn’t spot you out there today Julia, but if you were helping with the clean-up, then thank you.
Yes of course it was a joint effort between Trustees and residents. But I was on the KGV today helping to secure the gate and I take my hat off to how Liz and Chris Hogger worked clearing up the mess for 6 hours or so. I have no doubt they did the biggest part of the work as they just wanted it cleared as quickly as possible.
Yes of course it was a joint effort between Trustees and residents as the EVRT website makes clear. But I was on the KGV on Saturday helping to secure the gate and I take my hat off to how Liz and Chris Hogger worked clearing up the mess for 6 hours or so. I have no doubt they did the biggest part of the work as they just wanted it cleared up as quickly as possible.
Yes Liz 8:00 -til 1:30 yesterday, starting in the woodland, clearing every rugby pitch from about 9 – 12:30, when I met Vivien who was taking photos. I reported the damage to the corner of the pitch nearest Manor House and the dog mess, which your groundsman will need to repair/clean, and we looked at the flytipping on the school playing fields as well. I cleared the path back to Bookham on my way home, I spent 3 hours clearing the school playing fields today, so yes, plenty of mess has been cleared away. So much for their commitment to be tidy!