A group of travellers is leaving a trail of unhappy landowners and piles of litter in its wake as they move through the Mill Lane Industrial Estate. The travellers initially settled in Prospect Place, then moved to the car park of Austin Semi Conductors,= and have now moved to the Thames Water sewage farm. Owner of Austin Semi Conductors Jamie Knight has been forced to pay court costs to move the travellers on, and has been left with the unenviable task of cleaning up the mess they have left. Mr Knight told The Herald: "It cost £1,000 to get a writ to move them on, and it's going to cost hundreds of pounds to clear up the mess. They have left washing machines, microwaves and tried to burn the rest of the rubbish they had. There's also a bio-hazard issue as they have used the perimeter of the building and our portacabin as a toilet." The problems of the travellers on the Mill Lane Industrial Estate have widespread consequences, and affect the other business on the site. Vernon Pearce, Alton's town initiatives manager, told The Herald: "We are in the process of trying to regenerate Mill Lane, but seeing travellers puts new companies off leasing the units. It is a real disincentive to new businesses. "If we could get this problem solved, we wouldn't have any empty buildings on the estate, and could boost employment in the area." Private landowners can often be vulnerable to travellers, as police and the council have very little powers enabling them to move travellers on. Mr Pearce recommends preventing travellers from trespassing on land. "I think it's important to make sure your land is secure. It can be expensive to put bollards up, but it can be worth it. Ultimately, though, this a legal and governmental issue because they need to think of a solution." Gypsy liaison officer for East Hampshire District Council Tricia Hughes told The Herald: "It's council policy only to react in relation to council land. Town and parish council's must follow stringent guidelines for evicting travellers. We have to follow procedures of the Criminal Justice Act of 1994 and have to consider the welfare, health, education and social service needs of every individual within that group before we could consider moving them on. "Landowners are not obliged to follow these procedures, and therefore it is much easier for landowners to take steps to move travellers on themselves."
