A Forfar councillor has said she is “reassured” the local authority is working as swiftly as possible to move on Travellers camped in the car park of its Forfar headquarters.
But Glennis Middleton said that even after the latest unlawful encampment is dealt with, the wider problem will remain as something which she believes requires to be tackled at national level.
Three caravans rolled into the car park at Angus House on Forfar’s Orchardbank Business Park earlier this week, less than a couple of hundred yards from the main entrance to the council headquarters.
A council spokesman has said the authority is monitoring the encampment and it is understood legal moves are being made to force the Travellers off the car park, but Mrs Middleton said experience had proven that the numbers may quickly grow.
“The council is going through the formal process and we know that can take a certain amount of time,” she said.
“But I think what has happened in the past, and certainly from previous experience in Forfar in the past couple of years, is that perhaps three or four caravans arrive almost like the vanguard and we see numbers then grow on a daily basis.
“It would be a real concern if that was to happen, but I am reassured that Angus Council is taking the appropriate steps.
“As soon as they take up a position somewhere education is involved, social work is involved, the police are involved and the cost of dealing with it just escalates.”
As well as being used by council staff and employees of other business park organisations, including the nearby Guide Dogs for the Blind, the path running past the car park is popular with dog walkers heading to nearby Forfar Loch.
Previous illegal encampments at locations including Forfar Loch Country Park led to a barrage of complaints about human waste and sanitary materials being dumped in the area and Mrs Middleton said the lack of facilities was a concern.
“This car park is completely inappropriate if it was the Boy Scouts it would still be inappropriate as a place to set up camp.”
Angus Council has produced a policy document on Travelling people but Mrs Middleton suggested the solution to the transient visitors lies above local authorities.