SECURITY should be increased at Chipping Sodbury’s only public car park after travellers took over the site all weekend.

That’s the view of the town’s leaders, who want a height barrier once again installed at the car park to prevent caravans moving in.

Traders said they lost profits this weekend because shoppers could not park and were put off using the remaining spaces, while some residents’ cars were blocked in by the influx of caravans on Friday night.

And piles of rubbish were left scattered around the Wickwar Road car park when the group finally moved off the site on Monday evening. 

Claire Williams, who lives in High Street, had her car blocked in. 

She said: “I wasn’t comfortable asking them to move so I could get my car out, and was worried if it was safe – I didn’t even know if my car was still there.”

Town mayor Cllr Paddy Smith said he had received a large number of complaints from concerned residents who had been harassed about buying power tools in the area over the weekend. 

“It has caused a lot of problems,” he told the Gazette. “I have had a lot of people say they would not come into town because it was not worth the hassle.

“I have also had reports of a late night party until 3am in the car park on Saturday night and shoplifting in Waitrose.”

Cllr Smith and called for action to be taken by Waitrose, which leases the car park from its owners, developer Chelverton Deeley Freed.

“It is so frustrating, something has to be done,” he said. “We need a height restriction barrier to stop it from happening again.

“There used to be one but it was removed when the car park was reconfigured for Waitrose to be built in 2013.”

District councillor Rob Creer (Con, Chipping Sodbury) said he shared residents and traders’ frustrations about the encampment.

“I’m disgusted with the state they left it in,” he told the Gazette.

“We are currently coming to the peak of the travelling season and unfortunately the South West bears the brunt of this as it is at a crossroads on the travelling community’s routes. South Gloucestershire Council has one of the best traveller units in the country who work with all parties involved to attempt to resolve issues when they arise.

“I feel we should take action to mitigate the potential of this happening again and will be campaigning to get the height restriction bars reinstalled. I shall be raising the events of last few days at the next full Sodbury Town Council meeting to ensure that any future response is enhanced.”

Sodbury Town Council said it received numerous complaints and had worked with South Gloucestershire Council and Waitrose for the area to be cleared on Tuesday.

A spokesman for Waitrose: “We're sorry for any inconvenience caused.”