Grange Moor travellers: Barricade put up to stop camp

Conservative councillor Bill Armer also believes a trench could be a deterrent

A group of villagers have created a barricade to stop travellers setting up camp on a playing field

Travellers are said to have broken through a fence in Grange Moor, West Yorkshire, and tried to move boulders blocking their path.

They fled the scene after being approached by residents who rolled the boulders back into place and blocked the entrance with bottle banks.

Locals now want to dig a trench to stop the travellers accessing the field.

One resident said: "Everybody was joining in to help. We want to secure our village."

There have been calls for boulders to be cemented into the ground to stop travellers returning

A month ago, travellers were evicted from the site off Briestfield Lane, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

This followed complaints of noise as well as anti-social and intimidating behaviour.

The same group reportedly returned to the land - owned by Kirklees Council - late on Monday night.

Locals took matters into their own hands, using vehicles to move large recycling bins across the entrance.

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The resident, who asked not to be named, added: "We are surrounded by fields in Grange Moor. We can't police it 24/7.

"We are worried that they will come back and we will be in the same situation again."

Mr Armer fears travellers from West Bretton (pictured) could relocate to Grange Moor

Kirklees Council has sent an officer to the site to check the boulders were still in position.

However the council has warned that some land in the area is privately-owned and the cost of removing travellers is not its responsibility.

Local Conservatives have criticised the Labour-run council for being slow to evict travellers when they set up camp in the village, between Huddersfield and Wakefield.

At the moment, landowners and local councils usually have to get a court order to evict people who set up camps on private or public land for trespass.

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