A TEMPORARY campsite for travellers attending the Great Dorset Steam Fair has been found.

But its location is being kept secret and it will cost council tax payers a thumping £25,000.

Police and local authorities have been frantically looking for a site so that new powers could be used to stop unauthorised encampments which have caused problems in the area.

Last year - in the light of the new legislation - a farmer from Stourpaine ran a temporary site, giving police somewhere to move travellers to.

It was hailed as a great success - there were no unauthorised camps and crime was lower in Blandford than the previous year. But villagers who were furious at the lack of consultation, were promised it was a one-off.

Just days before the fair was due to open to the public the site was identified.

This year police have defended their decision to keep the new location secret ahead of time to prevent a mass influx, leaving them no space to exercise their new powers.

And the authorities have defended the cost - to be split equally between County Hall and North Dorset District Council.

In 2003 it cost £10,000 to clean up encampments and much time was spent in responding to dozens of complaints, they said.

Money was also spent to make the Milldown, Stour Meadows and the Ham carpark traveller-proof in the years before the authorised site. Works cost £14,000 in 2003 and caravans had damaged them anyway.

Blandford section commander Inspector Tim Lumley said: "Last year offering a safe alternative site was a solution with benefits for both resident and travelling communities.

"We hope the same will happen this year so that visitors who want to enjoy the Steam Fair can do so without too much disruption to others," Mr Lumley added.

NDDC general manager Joyce Guest said she was confident the partners had come up with an effective way to deal with the issues.

Blandford mayor Cllr Esme Butler said: "I support the principle of a site being provided and recognise the benefits it gave in 2004."

First published: August 24, 2005