Fife Council environmental health officers are investigating claims Travellers have caused an environmental hazard by defecating in countryside near Crail Airfield.
Several farmers and residents told The Courier a large unauthorised encampment of Travellers next to Crail Airfield is intimidating visitors to the area, with unproven evidence from farmers that Travellers are also causing damage to property.
A woman who regularly visits the area told The Courier she had been shocked at the “pigsty” created by the Travelling people in recent weeks, with human excrement among the unpleasant material she had found dumped next to a picnic area at Kilminning, close to the shore.
A farmer, who asked not to be named, also told The Courier that while she could not prove it was linked to the Travelling people, who have 20 to 30 caravans, her staff had evidence of damage to fencing and other property on farmland.
The farmer said the presence of the Travellers was a “big burden” to the area and there were concerns about the safety of farm workers if they were out alone.
Fife Council environmental services officers were investigating the allegations, as efforts to maintain a positive dialogue with the Traveller community continued.
In a recent memo updating councillors, a Fife Council official said the initial agreement with the Travellers was that the encampment would reduce substantially by the end of July. The official said that while this reduction had not happened, there have been “no community safety issues”.
Councillors were told Fife Council’s Traveller site managers have monitored the area continually and reported back. They had made at least one subsequent visit to discuss the issue of the Travellers moving on. Councillors were told last week that legal action was suspended and will be “recommenced if required”.
The council official said skips were provided to keep the area tidy, which it remains.
The area being used as a toilet had been identified, councillors were told, and environmental services had plans to disinfect the area as soon as the encampment has been moved. It has been agreed it is not cost-effective to do this while the encampment remains in place.
East Neuk Fife councillor Donald MacGregor told The Courier: “Obviously, I would like to see the Travellers move on and the mess cleared up. Any intimidation should be reported to the police.”
East Neuk Fife councillor John Docherty said: “An agreement was reached between Fife Council and the Travellers, which, I feel, gave enough time for the Travellers to get organised and move on. I have been contacted by a local who was descriptive of the state of the camp and mentioned the verbal abuse.”
Fife Council service manager (housing and neighbourhood services) John Mills told The Courier that the information he had was that the Travelling people were still at Kilminning “in some numbers”.
He said council officers had been visiting them regularly. He said skips had been provided, meaning there was “no excuse” for dumping.
“We are convinced Travellers are not dumping,” he added. However, he said claims of the area being used as a toilet were more serious allegations, which environmental service officers would be investigating in coming days.
He added that the site in Crail is an annual destination for Travelling people who farmed whelks from the coastline. He said it was not unusual for the group to overstay the length of time they intended to visit and this was where dialogue with council officers was vital.
A police spokesman said the issue of Travellers was one for Fife Council to deal with unless a complaint was made that resulted in the police being called in to investigate.