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05
Jun 2024
Clean-up begins after travellers leave Knaresborough
Travellers have left Fysche Field in Knaresborough after about 48 hours on site.
Cars and caravans arrived on the council-owned field behind the new Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre on Sunday night and Monday morning.
It was the second local traveller encampment to arrive in recent days, after one was set up on Oatlands playing field off Hookstone Road in Harrogate on Wednesday (May 29). Both have now moved on.
The annual Appleby Horse Fair, which begins in Cumbria tomorrow (June 6), often brings travellers to the area.
Councillor Matt Walker, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough West on North Yorkshire Council, praised the council for its action. He said:
North Yorkshire Council should be congratulated for quickly visiting the travellers and serving notice.
I hope that the clean-up that’s required due to the mess left by the travellers is done quickly.
The council has confirmed to me it will be fixing broken barriers around the field and putting in additional ones to prevent it from happening again.
The field pictured after the travellers departed.
Karl Battersby, corporate director of environment at North Yorkshire Council, said on Monday the council would “serve notice on those illegally camped to move”.
Mr Battersby added:
The council is following the legal processes in place to deal with illegal encampments, which it is important are followed. We will continue to work with North Yorkshire Police in relation to this matter.
Knaresborough is getting ready for its biggest weekend of the year, with tens of thousands of people due to attend the bed race on Saturday.
A four-week closure of Low Bridge is due to get underway today (June 5) to fix a buckle in the wall caused by last month’s floods.
However, the road will be open under two-way traffic lights from Friday until Monday morning for bed race weekend.
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