Legal action on camp site
TRAVELLERS who pitched up in Newton Mearns await legal action against them after ignoring a Monday deadline to quit.
Assorted caravans and cars arrived at the Stewarton Road site a week ago but the landowner asked the uninvited guests to leave.
Chief Inspector Kenny Graham confirmed that the travellers were served with a notice to move on by Monday afternoon this week.
He added: "The owner of the site now needs a court order".
A spokesman for the owner, Elphinstone, yesterday stood by its earlier statement this week that "action has been initiated to deal with this issue, and is ongoing.
"It's being dealt with in as prompt and non confrontational a manner as possible".
Meanwhile the travellers are staying put and yesterday said no-one had approached them to attempt to enforce any court order.
A nearby resident who declined to be named told The Extra: "The whole community has been worried about the possibility of a sanitation problem.
"It could cause an issue with smell, especially with hot weather. We also fear the situation could worsen as caravans multiply".
William McGuigan (23) and his 22-year-old wife Christine have been part of the travelling community all their lives because of the "freedom to move where we want, when we want".
Outside his caravan Mr McGuigan told The Extra: "We like our lives but locals have been the only problem. People have driven past while shouting abuse and we've also had stones and eggs thrown at us.
"I think we've been tarred with a bad brush. We are just looking for peace and quiet. We pick up all our rubbish and all the caravans have showers and toilets".
A spokeswoman for East Renfrewshire council revealed that although the site is private property, the local authority's environmental health team has visited and found "no waste problem".
Yesterday, the cleansing department also collected rubbish from the site.
A source confirmed: "We have arranged refuse collection and supplied bin bags. We will continue to monitor the amount of caravans at the site but are only able to act if it becomes a statutory nuisance".
n AFTER an employment tribunal in Aberdeen judgment in 2008 judge Nicol Hosie determined in a landmark legal ruling that Scottish gypsies/travellers "have ethnic origins, with reference in particular to the 1976 Race Relations Act, and they therefore enjoy the protection of the act".
Thus Scottish gypsies/travellers who feel they have been treated unfavourably because of their travelling lifestyle, may take action for alleged racial discrimination.
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Weather for Glasgow
Thursday 09 February 2012
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