North Curry gypsies - eviction moves closer (From Somerset County Gazette)

North Curry gypsies - eviction moves closer

8:00pm Thursday 9th July 2009

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GYPSIES who set up home in a field off North Curry’s Oxen Lane will fight the latest move to kick them out, it was claimed this week.

Fresh legal action is underway to remove them “quite quickly”, along with caravans and fences they set up in October 2004.

It comes after the gypsies’ unsuccessful High Court challenge to an inspector’s decision to dismiss their appeal against an injunction ordering them to leave.

A Taunton Deane Council spokesman said: “The challenge to the inspector’s letter failed in the High Court at the end of June.

“The council is therefore making an application to the court to have the terms of the interim injunction varied so that we can move to clear all residents - other than two families – from the site, together with all the outstanding caravans, fences etc.

“This application should be dealt with quite quickly.”

The Deane hopes to negotiate with the two families, who are not covered by the injunction, to avoid another lengthy legal battle.

Julia Tibbs, who lives beside the encampment, welcomed the latest development.

She said: “We’re pleased with the justified result.

“If everybody was allowed to do what they’ve done, in a couple of years the whole country would be overrun by unauthorised and illegal sites.”

Gypsy representative Maggie Smith Bendall said: “Where’s the council going to remove the gypsies to?

“They’ve nowhere to go. You can’t throw children out onto the highway – they need a safe environment.

“They’ll continue to fight to stay there until the council finds some where for them to go.”

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