Council that spent 10yrs removing 'travellers'...

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...from Dale Farm approves a brand new site for them just 800 yards away from the original site.

It's a strange state of affairs in that these 'travellers' don't seem to do much travelling.

Frankly, I think the council lost their bottle when dealing with these, erm, less than morally-upright folks.

Still, I'm absolutely sure that the local population - that's the non-knacker variety - are ecstatic at this news.

i view travelers as people who just want to live a more simple life, without being a wage slave to pay monthly bills... they should be a protected minority like Amish... (they also live differently in many ways to normal society) and wow, to spend 7 million euro and only move them 800 yards is such a waste of money... they could of done so much good for their community with those funds...

Yes - often by stealing from others and making the settled community's life a nuisance, whilst living in a complete eyesore.

I'm afraid I agree with you. I grew up on my father's farm and "travellers" were frequent visitors offering to tarmac the drive, or "buy" our old scrap metal or various other dodgy deals. One of their cons was offering us a good price for our scrap metal. After filling their flat-bed trailer with a load they proclaimed "There is enough for two loads here - we'll pay you when we take the second load." My dad was not having any of it. "You pay now or we empty the load." They cursed and muttered and paid the amount for the first load. Didn't come back for the second load - but of course they never intended to come back anyway. I grew up expecting them to appear now and then, lying and trying to steal stuff or con my dad.

A similar thing happened to your opening post a number of years later when I worked near to my father's farm. The "travellers" set up a site on land that was in the process of being developed into an industrial estate and they stopped construction dead. They were on there for several years before the council managed to move them. I had to drive past their site every day. It was a real dump. Used nappies (diapers) laying all around the pavement (sidewalk), litter and every imaginable kind of filth everywhere. They were literally living in a rubbish dump / sewage farm of their own making. One day I had to walk past their site when my car was in for repairs. I was in fear for my life as a pack of semi-wild dogs came off the site and circled me, growling and showing their teeth. Luckily I kept my composure and knew enough dog psychology to allow the pack leader (a cross between a German Shepherd and a Rotweiller - a big nasty bastard) to come right up to me and sniff at my crutch - had I tried to run, shoo it away or resist I would almost certainly have been viciously mauled by the pack, after a few minutes the pack leader wandered away back to the caravans and the other dogs followed it. Anyway, a year or two later the council finally moved them out... and they settled one mile away, close to my dad's farm! He has had even more trouble from them since. Thieving being the biggest problem.

Hmm... Here in the states, Travelers usually refers to a group of Irish con-men based on the southern barrier islands of the east coast--Georgia, North and South Carolina etc... They do travel during the warmer months to "work" but go back to more permanent homes during the winter.

I'm guessing what you guys are talking about are more akin to gypsies/squaters?

Sorry to hear that, TallyMan.