Travellers
Hi
First time writer.
I frequently visit Strathclyde Country Park site and have been a long time admirer of the site , the wardens over the last few years , in the summer month, Sam and Dave have been wonderful. However , towards the end of last year and the beginning of this year there has been more and more "travellers" appearing on the site. I have witnessed them all loading and unloading "goods" from each others vans and distributing them amongst one another. At one point , I couldn't use the laundry as they had commandeered the machines all day and at one point counted 7 different pitches occupied by "travellers" at the one time. From January 2020 till lockdown there were 5 pitches occupied by "travellers" for more than the aloud amount of time and never left the site for the 2 days required. Also children's toys abandoned everywhere and running in and out of the toilets constantly. I did mention this at the time to the winter wardens and was told that it was not their problem.
Now when I joined the CAMC I had to give a fixed address in order to get my membership approved so to speak , but obviously that isn't the case now and you can get a membership without one.
I am not the only person to have raised this subject with the wardens on the site and a fair number of reviews will back this up.
Anyway after all that story, can someone please inform me if this is now the club policy to allow "travellers" on sites because if it is I will be moving to other clubs.
Many thanks
Comments
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Thank you for your response. It just annoys me that site I spoke about it a brilliant site always immaculate but doesn't look like when you see carpets hung over one way signs and all their clothes hung over the heaters in the toilet block. Takes the shine off it a bit and I think tarnishes the CAMC good name!! Thank you anyway.
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Although the CAMC can't discrimate based on the fact they are travellers. If said travellers are not following the rules, as sounds the case. Just like at any establishment they can be asked to leave and refused future entry. Just like pubs they could also be barred from other sites in the group.
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rebela, you say you spoke to the wardens on site at the time and got nowhere. If this bothers you then I would take it up with the Club direct, as SteveL points out if they or anyone are breaking the rules then they can be asked to leave and refused future entry, membership can also be withdrawn.
Just curios how do you know they stayed for more than the allowed 21 days.
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We have on two occasions been on cc sites , Where the wardens thave had the misfortune of having to try to deal with problems that it seems come with most travellers, it is not a situation that can be adressed with any form of trying to reason with them, and as for asking them to move off? then normally the staff get more problems, If they , as often is the case, do not pay after a couple of days ,then it has to be via a court order and Bailiffs ,which was i understand about £500 per unit
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I think there are travellers of various social sorts - perhaps you were unlucky.
I have shared three campsites and one overnight car park with groups of British and Irish travellers who were crossing France - groups with about eight outfits. They were quiet, well behaved, kept very much to themselves, didn't want to chat, and had far better cars and caravans than I had.
They were clearly experienced overseas travellers and knew the prejudice against twin axle vans in France so they all had newish single axle Fendts and we're towing with decent Mercedes . No problems .
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When in france they do tend to look out for the police,whereas in the UK the police although are advised of travellers on site ,will not get invoved when on private property ,hence you have not seen what is an often scenario by some in the UK as per the OP
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The travellers we met were prosperous - often with his and her Mercedes.The man towing the caravan with a white van, and the woman with a cool coupe towing a neat box trailer with a complete fitted kitchen, with dishwasher, fridge freezer and so on built in it. I felt I was the poor relation.
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I live quite close to a place called Wickham, and we should be having the annual Wickham horse fair in the coming weeks, now cxld as a result of corvid-19, however, our traveller friends have arrived in numbers and it is unbelievable the carnage these people create in just a couple of days of being camped up, illegally, I dont know if they bring all that rubbish with them or whether they collect it once arrived, but it is everywhere, and of course the hedgrows become the public toilets, at least if they are contained on a legal camping site they might have some decency and use the facilities provided, even if it is not ideal for your regular campers.
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That’s long gone, Lordsward.
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We get them in this area at times , One of local paper hacks braved where they had arrived and wrecked and with piles of rubbish ,When he said why do you leave such mess when you leave? They were quite indignant ,and advised it was not their rubbish , "wWhen it gets round the area that we have set up for a couple of days as we have not any homes the locals bring all their rubbish and dump it here to get us a bad name"
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cycled down to our beach house yesterday to check it out, normally do this once per week, and what did i find, outside lockers broken into, fortunately the one containing the 2 very large gas cyclinders the door is screwed on as well as locked so they did not steal our gas cyclinders but they did get away with at least 6 from others.
Funny that travellers arrive in the area and stuff gets nicked, they have moved on now, probably with all the stolen gas cylinders in the back of a truck. We do have a small diesel generator at the back of one of the lockers but they missed that, thankfully , dont you just love um
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'I did mention this at the time to the winter wardens and was told that it was not their problem.'
Is that another way of saying that they felt totally impotent, isolated and possibly intimidated when it came to they themselves trying to do anything about it?
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I take it they are still on the site as of today? and if it correct? that all site staff are furloughed ,then as is posted they are not allowed to do anything, but i would have thought a bit of "common sense" by the regional manager should have been applied by now
As with other sites that still have LVs staying and useing the site facilities?
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"These people"? You mean human beings who are also club members.
Don't misunderstand me, I have no time for rule/law breakers but let’s not be discriminatory here. The club should deal with members who break rules no matter what their ethnicity.
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I have to agree with you ,until other members have been on sites that have had the misfortune to have had the problems that they bring with them , and the stress it gives to the Site staff , and other members when trying to deal it, in comparison to the odd other member who can be normally dealt with without the need of intervention by the courts
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You are not camping next to "these people".
The site is closed for you and me - it is in temporary emergency use during the coronavirus epidemic as a holding area or refuge for those who have no fixed address and need somewhere to stay during these lockdown times.
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