TEMPORARY sites are being sought for travellers in a bid to tackle the growing issue in Poole.

The council’s gypsy and travellers working party has recommended a number of security measures for unauthorised encampments in a report due to come before the place overview and scrutiny committee next week.

The report asks the committee to consider the principle of temporary stopping places for gypsies and travellers.

According to the report these ‘temporary transit facilities’ would be sought in certain lower profile sites across the borough on a rotation basis and no individual site would be used more than once per year.

The policy would enable the police in some circumstances to compel an encampment to relocate without the need for the council to take action in the courts.

A Borough of Poole spokesman explained that these temporary sites would be at locations aimed at “minimising any impact on neighbourhoods”.

Other measures suggested include a height restrictive barrier at the entrance to the Kingland Road Car Park, the installation of day and night CCTV cameras at Sandbanks beach car park and “hardening measures” at Copse Close at Poole Park.

Working party chairman Cllr Andy-Garner Watts will be presenting his report to the committee on Wednesday. It explains the need for these additional security measures and also recommends that portable toilets and skip facilities continue to be provided.

The report also reveals that there has been 14 unauthorised encampments in Poole this year - five more than 2016.

It added: “In addition, there have been multiple incursions onto land that a few years back had never or rarely experienced incursion, such as Copse Close, Kingland Road car park and Sandbanks car park.

“It suggests the additional security measures introduced in 2013 and 2014 had the effect of displacing encampments to other locations, but has had no deterrent effect on gypsies and travellers who are determined to visit to Poole.”

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