Rhyl pupils sent home after travellers set up camp at school

Portable homes are parked on the grounds of Rhyl High School

An MP has called for the removal of a travellers' camp that has been set up on a school's grounds forcing most pupils to be sent home.

Dr James Davies, MP for Vale of Clwyd, spoke out after students in years seven to 10, at Rhyl High School and Ysgol Tir Morfa, returned to remote learning.

He has demanded the camp be removed in time for school to return on Tuesday.

Denbighshire County Council said it would "continue to monitor the situation" and liaise with the school.

Dr Davies wrote to the council on Thursday evening, after learning about the arrival of the travellers at the school. 

He said: "Given the further disruption to pupil education that this will bring, during what has already been a very bad year for education,, I would be keen for the strongest action to be taken as is possible."  

'Tackling inequalities'

He added that this week there had been another "unauthorised encampment", at Bastion Road in Prestatyn, and that last year "residents and businesses were up in arms" after travellers set up camp on the car park located adjacent to the CookHouse Pub and Carvery in Prestatyn. 

"Unauthorised encampments can cause much disruption to residents and businesses, and this time to the education of our children, and people are desperate to see an end to the problem," Dr Davies continued.    

"I therefore welcome new police powers for encampments in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, through the introduction of a new criminal offence of trespass with the intent to reside. 

"The government is committed to delivering a cross-government strategy to tackle the inequalities faced by Gypsy, Roma and traveller communities, but these new powers would reduce the difficulties that residents in the Vale of Clwyd are currently faced with several times each year.

"I urge Denbighshire to act quickly to deal with the latest incident, so that Rhyl High School grounds are vacated by the travellers in time for all years to return to the school after the Bank Holiday weekend."