Travellers have continued to play their cat-and-mouse game across Dundee, quitting one encampment over the weekend only to set up another one within a few miles.
Some of the Travellers leaving Jack Martin Way moved a very short distance to Dunsinane Avenue, leaving a significant amount of waste at Jack Martin Way.
The Travellers claim they have camped illegally because the council site is full and told The Courier they have received abuse from nearby residents.
As they moved, they circumvented attempts to prevent their access at Jack Martin Way, they drove round barriers and rocks and, at Dunsinane Avenue, a padlocked fence appeared to have been cut open.
The Courier saw three heavily vandalised caravans left on the road, which had to be crushed by council staff.
In addition there was human and animal excrement, nappies, children’s toys and copious amounts of household rubbish. Council staff claimed to have found bags filled with vomit and ash from open fires.
A worker clearing the site, who did not wish to be named, said: “This clean-up is taking two days. We do lots of these and this one is particularly bad.
“Most Travelling people are fine but this lot just cause chaos. We needed two big skips to collect all the waste and a JCB to crush the caravans and move them away.
“The council do everything they can, they place the barriers but they just push them aside or cut through them.”
Meanwhile, Travellers at Dunsinane spoke about the difficulties they have been having.
One said: “There are a few Travelling people who give the whole community a bad name. We’re from Ireland, we get endless abuse from people. Shops and garages don’t let us in, because we’re Travellers.
“We have boy racers come and rev their engines and drive around our caravans and shout ‘Gypsies’ at us. Kids from the flats round about come and throw stones and abuse us for being Gypsies.”
He continued: “The police don’t care about us because we’re Travellers but we’re good people.
“We use the showers, we use the bathroom, we didn’t leave litter at Jack Martin Way and we won’t leave a mess here either.”
A spokesperson from Dundee City Council said: “In its liaison role, the city council advises Travellers not only of the official site run by the local authority at Balmuir Wood but also of other sites run by councils throughout Scotland.”
The council revealed it has begun legal action regarding the actions of the Travellers at Jack Martin Way. The clear-up operation was concluded on Tuesday evening.