A group of Travellers will be told to leave a park in Bolton after appearing to have arrived and set up camp over the weekend, officials say.
The group are believed to have gone onto Barlow Park in Astley Bridge at some point on Saturday August 17.
But Bolton Council have now said that they are aware of the Travellers’ presence and would working for a legal order to tell them to leave.
Cllr John Walsh, of Astley Bridge, said: “I’m clearly very pleased that the council have acted as quickly as Greater Manchester Police acted on Saturday.
“It’s very important that we protect our playing fields and hopefully this will help us to do that.”
Cllr Walsh had first raised the alarm on Saturday afternoon after being told at around 5.30pm that the Travellers had apparently trespassed onto Barlow Park.
As of Monday, a Bolton Council spokesperson confirmed that the authority is aware of the group's presence.
They say they have carried out welfare checks and have started legal proceedings to secure a "direction to leave."
Found just off Dunoon Drive, Barlow Park is one of several around the borough to be run by Bolton Council.
The park includes a football pitch, cricket pitch, multi-use pitch and a playground as well as large wide-open spaces and is a popular destination for families and dog walkers.
Cllr Walsh said he had contacted the police who responded, “within the hour” and established that the group were separate from another that had recently appeared at Little Lever.
Groups of Travellers have been reported at various parks and open spaces across Bolton in recent months after the council ordered a site at Moses Gate to close.
ALSO READ: Travellers move onto park near football playing fields
ALSO READ: Travellers to make fresh attempt to overturn eviction order
ALSO READ: Concerns raised as Travellers move on to playing fields
This came after Bolton Council applied to the courts in consultation with Greater Manchester Police for a closure order.
In doing so, they cited a series of alleged incidents involving drugs, violence and guns.
Some of the Travellers at the site have since appealed against the order
Former residents at the Moses Gate site have said previously that they have nowhere to go and want to stay in Bolton for their sake of their children in the borough’s primary schools.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel