Jail threat issued to Bedfordshire gypsies

A group of gypsies will be jailed for contempt of court unless
they move from a site in Bedfordshire, a high court judge has
ruled.

Judge James Goudie issued an injunction against the travellers
camped on land next to the village of Hatch, near Northill.

The ruling was sought by Mid-Bedfordshire Council as the
culmination of a four-year battle with the gypsies, who have been
accused of disrupting the lives of villagers and damaging the
countryside.

David Elvin, acting for the council, said there had been an
increase in crime and nuisance in the area since the gypsies moved
in, and the impact on residents was “unacceptable”.

Donald Kenrick, vice-president of the Gypsy Council, has warned
that many of the families will have no alternative but to live on
the roadside if they are evicted.

He said the gypsies have been given until the end of October to
leave. “Many of the children are settled in local schools, and
several of the adults have serious health needs, and four months is
not enough to find another site.”

The gypsies may appeal against the injunction, he said.