Not our land, says National Trust (From Gazette Series)

Not our land, says National Trust

MYSTERY surrounding the ownership of land being used by travellers in Wotton-under-Edge increased this week as the presumed owners confirmed it did not belong to them.

Following a call from the Gazette, The National Trust has investigated the site in Westridge Woods and discovered, contrary to previous claims, it does not own it.

Trust senior rural surveyor for Gloucestershire Piers Steed said a surveyor was on site on Wednesday.

"I can confirm that our surveyor has walked our boundary and the camp is definitely not on our land," he said. "We had been told by a number of people that the travellers were on trust land and had just taken it for granted. We do own part of Westridge Woods but this site is definitely not ours."

A Wotton couple had criticised the trust for not preventing the destruction of some of the woodland.

They claim there has been a massive depletion of woodland surrounding the travellers' site and said they did not think the trust was doing enough to protect the woods.

They said: "People are afraid to walk there and have been seen travelling in vehicles on the Cotswold Way whooping and shouting - the place is now a mess."

The National Trust had previously told the Gazette the land is leased to a private landlord and that it was not the trust's responsibility to evict the travellers.

Police have also come under fire for showing apathy towards the situation.

"The police always do nothing," the couple continued. "The vehicles there must have been on the highway to reach the woods. We wonder how many are fully insured, taxed or have a MoT."

Sgt Neil Gibbs said vehicles are only causing an offence if and when they are used on a public road.

He stated: "We do stop and deal with suspicious vehicles all the time. We are aware some of the vehicles used may not hold a current tax disc and this would be dealt with just the same as any other non-payment."

The latest development in the ownership mystery means it is unlikely there will be any eviction in the near future.

Sgt Gibbs said police powers were dependent on complaints from people who can justify an interest in the land.

"In order for us to do anything we would need someone with an interest in the land to come forward and make a statement," he added. "To date no one has done so."