ANGER OVER OFFICIAL SITE FOR TRAVELLERS

The car park next to the pavilion on Freshfields is now an official emergency stop-over site for travellers to stay for up to 28 days a year.

But the council decision is being seen by residents as a yet another blow to their quality of life.

They already suffer noise and pollution from the A259 and lorries coming in and out of Pebsham tip.

Some residents reacted with horror at the news because they have experienced trouble when travellers have stopped at the site in the past.

Mother of three Tracy Bonner said: "They can be abusive, let their dogs wander everywhere and make big fires. I just get sick of it.

"My kids can't play football when they are here. I know they are not all the same but the last lot we had were really bad."

Another resident said: "It is 28 days too many."

Hastings Council's cabinet made the decision on Monday following a recommendation from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) that local authorities should provide stopping places for travellers.

The council admits the site is not ideal but is working with Rother District Council to find a better site.

This would be fitted with basic facilities and the council is seeking funding from the ODPM for this work.

What the decision does mean is that if travellers stop at other sites in Hastings they can be moved to the recreation ground.

It is not intended for travellers to stay there for long periods and the council insists it is just an emergency stop off site. If the car park has been used for 28 days it would be closed to travellers for the rest of the year.

Management from Wyevale Garden Centre nearby expressed concern at the news while Cllr Terry Soan, who lives on Bexhill Road, said he did not mind them being there as long as they cleared up after themselves.

Emma Nuttall from the Friends Families and Travellers organisation, which lobbies for travellers' rights, welcomed the news.

She explained that there are not enough sites for the UK's estimated 300,000 travellers to stop at '” so many are effectively homeless, getting evicted from site to site.

She said: "It's a brilliant first step for the council to take."