ALTON Tennis Club believes it has borne the brunt of the recent traveller invasion on land behind Alton Sports Centre.
As reported in last weekÕs Alton Herald, the travellers who occupied the car park at the REHAB Centre, Alton Tennis Club and Gurdons for over two weeks finally moved on having been served a notice by East Hampshire District Council under section 77 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
Tennis club members were keen to point out, however, that it was they who had been left with the lionÕs share of the damage and mess to clear up.
According to club secretary Pat Johnson, the travellers had tethered their dogs on the grass area around the gate to the courts and two caravans had been parked in the car park. ÒThe mess was unbelievable,Ó said Mrs Johnson who spoke of having to clear up dogsÕ mess, rubbish, including a burnt-out fridge, a gas cylinder, and a disused microwave cooker, along with barrow loads of tree cuttings.
Someone had broken the locks off the gate and to the clubhouse door, the notice board above the gate had been shattered and the pipes to the water barrels broken. The young trees flanking the courts had also been hacked down.
While the cost of the damage is not expected to be excessive, Mrs Johnson is incensed by the invasion of privacy and by the draw on limited funds.
ÒAfter six years we had just finished paying off all our debts and were about to embark on getting water and electricity supplies installed to the club house,Ó she said.
Instead the money has been spent on taking action to prevent further trespassing on to Alton Tennis Club land.
Concrete posts have been installed and a trench dug to prevent access and a meeting with other injured parties, including REHAB, East Hampshire District Council and Alton Town Council is thought to have led to an agreement to install movable height barriers to prevent caravans accessing the car park area.