IN LESS than four hours more than a thousand people in Christchurch signed a petition calling for a change in the law to give councils more power to evict bands of unwanted travellers.

It follows a bitter row between townspeople and travellers from a Gypsy encampment, which sprung up in the arena behind the 2Riversmeet sports centre nearly six weeks ago, sparking scores of complaints from angry residents about mess, noise, petty crimes and loss of public amenities.

After weeks of legal wrangling the travellers have started to trickle away and the police and borough council have pledged to make sure all their caravans are gone before the September 1 deadline, set at an earlier court hearing.

But yesterday fed up residents made their feelings clear when they backed the campaign calling for increased measures to combat the annual invasion of travellers on public spaces, car parks and farmland in the borough.

The petition will be presented to Christchurch council at its next meeting on September 14 by leader Cllr Alan Griffiths who is spearheading the campaign for improved legislation.

"People are absolutely sick and tired of this invasion and they're delighted someone is trying to do something about it," he said.

"We want to change the law so that councils can get possession of their land when it is illegally occupied within 24 hours.

"We have had the same problem every year and it's getting worse.

"Christchurch is being taken advantage of by a people who know every trick in the book."

The council will be seeking a court order on Wednesday to remove any caravans remaining at the site, which peaked at 30, when the deadline expires.

First published: August 31