For a number of years a row has been raging in Bulkington, North Warwickshire, over a group of travellers that have stopped travelling.
The bitter argument, which has been in and out of the courts a number of times, is between a group of 21 families of travellers and Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.
|  | Child on the Bulkington traveller's site |
The land at Wolvey Road in Bulkington became the focus of a row back in April 2001 when it was purchased by the travellers.
Then 21 families, made up of more than 100 men, women and children, moved onto the site.
Start of the trouble
The trouble started when the travellers erected buildings, fences and roads without planning permission from Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.
The site is on greenbelt land and the council claimed the alterations without permission made the site illegal.
|  | View of the site showing the fences and roads |
A public inquiry ruled the travellers could be evicted and ordered to restore the land to its previous condition, removing hard surfacing and fencing and re-seeding the area with grass.
Alternative site
Missed eviction dates went by and then back in mid-2002, the 21 families of travellers said they would consider leaving the site if the council offered the group an alternative site to move to.
Representatives from the council refused and so the travellers asked to be allowed to buy some other land they could develop.
Angry scenes of protest
|  | Protestors facing police at the Bulkington site |
There were angry scenes in early January 2004 when police and bailiffs tried to move the travellers off the land.
Around 400 protestors turned up to support the travellers, who dug trenches, formed a human shield and set fire to caravans to prevent bailiffs from evicting them.
Eviction procedure in question
|  | Inside of the traveller's caravans |
Then, on 15 January, Mr Justice Beatson of the High Court ruled the group were able to stay on the site while the courts investigated Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council's eviction procedure.
A judicial review will now be held into the council’s attempts to evict.
The issue is that the council used their own bailiffs rather than go back to the county court judge who ordered the clearing of the site.
|  | Child on the Bulkington traveller's site |
A judicial review is to be held into the eviction procedure and until then the travellers are allowed to stay put.
However, this has done nothing to appease local residents who are making sure their opinions are heard.
Some residents have become so impatient they are threatening to withhold their council tax if the problem is not sorted out soon.
The council and the travellers are still having regular meetings to try to find a solution.
We will be following the developments here online as they happen and would also like to hear your views.
What is your view on the row? How would you resolve the problem?
Have your say on the message board.
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