Rocks 'hurled' at toddlers in popular park

Police say they have now moved on the encampment from Horfield Common

Rocks have been thrown at toddlers, fences chopped with chainsaws and fire extinguishers set off in a café at a popular Bristol park, residents say.

It comes after about 70 caravans parked up on Horfield Common on Wednesday afternoon, remaining until Friday morning.

The CEO of a community trust, which runs a centre in the park, told the BBC people had been "crying" and "shaking".

A Bristol City Council spokesperson said that due to "high levels of anti-social behaviour and criminality associated with the site", police had made "very unusual" decision to move the group on.

After being evicted from the site, the caravans moved to Eastville Park which was quickly encircled by a heavy police presence including a number of riot vans.

A police spokesperson told the BBC on Friday afternoon that they had issued the encampment in Horfield a notice to leave "as they were trespassing and causing significant disruption".

They added that they were "engaging" with the group in Eastville Park, and that the group had "since moved on and out of the Bristol area".

Sam Thomson, who heads the Ardagh Community Trust which runs the facilities on Horfield Common, said there were "a lot" of people coming into the park café "very upset, visibly upset, who had had some sort of altercation and been shouted at or screamed or sworn at".

"The whole atmosphere felt very intimidating," she added. "And then we got the the position where there was vandalism happening - chainsaws taken to some of the fences outside, someone with an axe hacking at something in the park.

"We had a number of issues in the café, then kids came in setting off fire extinguishers, knocking over the fridge and stealing ice creams."

A number of police riot vans were seen in the Eastville Park area on Friday afternoon

A junior park run event, which usually runs on Horfield Common every weekend, has been cancelled after a storage area was broken into and equipment stolen - including a mobile phone which volunteers say was then used to call them in the middle of the night.

People also broke in to the local gardening group's polytunnels and overturned the gardening equipment inside.

The damage has been so severe that the Ardagh Community Trust says it is now having to pay for private security.

"With the best will in the world, we are not here for this," Ms Thomson said. "Our staff are not here to rugby tackle people over ice creams.

"We don't want it to be a fortress - it's a community space."

Children were seen throwing rocks of this size at toddlers and parents

The decision was taken to close the café on Thursday, with most community events at the space cancelled.

A forest school session for toddlers did go ahead on Friday morning, as the class was set to be held entirely indoors, but police eventually had to be called after children were seen "hurling rocks at toddlers" from beyond a fence.

"We have a long and proud tradition of travellers coming to Horfield Common, they've been doing it for years but this is very different," Ms Thomson said.

"It's the scale of it - one or two caravans and a couple of families travelling together is one thing, but this is not that."

The group had previously been camped on the Downs in Clifton, but were evicted and moved on Wednesday.

'Exceptionally rare'

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: “We received a number of reports relating to issues of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage being committed at the Ardagh Community Centre, including vandalism to trees and fencing.

"It was also reported that equipment belonging to a running club had been stolen.

“Officers have attended and are investigating.

"They continue to engage with those on the site and with Bristol City Council.”

Hundreds of people arrived at the green space on Wednesday

Ms Thomson told the BBC that the police had been called a number of times, and both officers and the council had supported the community organisation.

A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: "Using police powers to remove an encampment is very unusual, but the impact on the local community has driven the decision to take immediate action.

"The council’s Gypsy Roma traveller team is working closely with the police and will be supporting the eviction. The council will also clear up any mess that is left behind by the group.

“The vast majority of Gypsy travellers who pass through the city are law abiding and respectful citizens, and operations such as this are exceptionally rare.”