Travellers have moved on from playing fields used by Cotham School after they were served with an eviction notice. A group of travellers turned up at the Stoke Lodge fields on Saturday, July 23, and were accused of trespassing by the school.
A statement released by the school today says it has "followed due process in exercising its rights under common law to take this action", and said the field will be cordoned off while the site is assessed. According to the letter published online, the travellers were served with an eviction notice on Friday, July 29 by bailiffs acting on the school's instruction, and they left the grounds yesterday (August 1).
In a previous statement, the school made several allegations including that the group used force to gain entry and that they caused damage to the locks at one of the entrances. The school has said it will "assess the fields further for potential health and hygiene hazards", and they are asking members of the public to avoid the area where the travellers were camped "for their own safety".
Read more: Travellers camp on controversial school playing field
The area was cordoned off this morning, but the letter states that it will be reopened "as soon as the assessment and any necessary deep clean has been undertaken". Cotham School leaders had left the gates to the playing area unlocked since the travellers moved in to prevent further damage to barriers, and advised anyone who wanted to enter the site to “do so at their own risk”.
But from today, the school will be reinstating opening and closing times, unlocking the fields at 8am daily and locking them up again at 9pm. The playing fields have been the subject of controversy since 2000, with locals fighting for public access to the popular walking and recreation area.
In 2018, the school was given permission to put up fences and gates around Stoke Lodge, and the barriers were completed in 2019. The school defended this as “steps that it deems necessary to protect the health and safety of students and staff”, including the risk of travellers setting up camp on the site in Stoke Bishop.
Campaigners who have long fought for public access to the space questioned the purpose of the fencing given the presence of the travellers who still managed to gain entry. The school declined to comment further when approached by Bristol Live last week.
A spokesperson for landowner Bristol City Council said last week: “We are aware of the unauthorised encampment that arrived on Cotham School playing fields over the weekend. Members of our Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) Team have attempted to visit the group but were unable to get access to the land to carry out a welfare assessment.
"The GRT Team will continue to try to contact the group and will be offering the use of our council-owned transit site for them to move onto. Our health visitor will also be attending the site to provide support if needed."
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