A smashed-up caravan was left abandoned at Guide Post Corner, in Bowes, last week and portable toilets provided by the county council were upended. Human waste was also deposited in buildings at the Old Armoury camp site overlooking the village.
Guide Post Corner was designated a stop over area for travellers by Durham County Council ahead of Appleby Horse Fair and will remain so until this Friday (June 23).
But villager Yvonne Mulley couldn’t understand the mess left behind. She said: “Why do they turn the toilets over when they leave? I think it’s time the police stopped the caravans – they should just have the old horses and carriages.”
Mrs Mulley said the first set of gypsies to come through hadn’t posed any problems but reserved harsh words for travellers who left the corner a “tip”.
She added: “The proper Romanies do not leave a mess because they worry about their reputation.
“It will be down to the council to clean it up which will mean we have to pay. Everyone is frightened of doing anything because they have matches.”
Another angry villager, who did not wish to be named, said a possible feud involving baseball bats on last Monday night into Tuesday had resulted in the “eyesore”.
He added: “It’s absolutely trashed and there’s obviously been some sort of feud – it’s another eyesore for the Teesdale countryside.
“We should not be left in this state – we bend over backwards for these people and provide them with toilets.
“It’s disgraceful and a disgrace to the dale – they’re not a nice set of people at all.”
Durham County Council have worked in partnership with Durham Police and a traveller liaison group to establish stop-over sites and facilitate a smooth passage to Appleby.
“Target hardening” measures including bollards and fencing have been erected to encourage use of these sites.
Mrs Mulley has lived in Bowes for 21 years but said problems associated with travellers had got worse lately.
She added: “We once stopped our car because we could see someone trying to get into a field – he was the one shouting at us and we felt like we were the ones in the wrong.
“I think everyone is frightened of being strict with them – it’s laughable. If we took our daughter’s caravan and put it in a lay by there would not be a water bowser or a toilet there and we would be moved on by the police. It’s one law for one and one for another.”
Farmers in Bowes have resorted to their own “target hardening” methods – putting big stones in front of farm gates during the migration period.
Bowes parish councillor Cliff Brown said the damage was “quite unusual”.
He added: “I was on the committee for quite a long time and the measures over the last ten years have made quite a difference.
“Compared to 20-odd years ago we’ve taken quite a few measures to reduce problems.”
Ian Hoult, the county council's neighbourhood protection manager, said the stop-over areas had been used by a “large number” of gypsies and travellers, adding that the mess at Guide Post Corner would be dealt with by a neighbourhood warden team.
He said: “The Teesdale Residents and Travellers Forum has planned a debrief to review how the collective actions have gone over the Appleby migration period in order to learn from each year and adapt where necessary for future years.”
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