School unable to use playing field after travellers move onto site in Yarmouth
Travellers have moved onto the Barnard Bridge playing field, on Barnard Avenue, owned by Great Yarmouth High School and used by local football teams.Picture: James Bass - Credit: Eastern Daily Press © 2016
Concerned residents have spoken out after travellers moved onto a playing field owned by Great Yarmouth High School and used by local football teams.
Travellers have moved onto the Barnard Bridge playing field, on Barnard Avenue, owned by Great Yarmouth High School and used by local football teams.Picture: James Bass - Credit: Eastern Daily Press © 2016
The Barnard Bridge field, on Barnard Avenue, is used regularly for PE lessons at the school, and also for the training of Great Yarmouth Town FC and their youth team.
There are currently 15 caravans on the site.
Norfolk County Council have confirmed they are looking into the situation.
John Robson, headteacher at the school said: 'It is an incredibly annoying situation as it we can not use the site at the moment which we own.
'It is not affecting us too much fortunately as we are 190 pupils down with year 11 pupils out of the school and we can use the small space we have on the Beaconsfield and the school field.'
Last night Great Yarmouth Football Club tweeted that they would move their training elsewhere.
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The tweet said: 'Tuesday and Thursday this week will be at the Beaconsfield due to travellers breaking in to Barnard Bridge'.
The youth team tweeted to say: 'All we need in pre-season. All equipment removed from the cabins and stored safely can all teams please train elsewhere?'
They also said damage had been done to their goalposts, and that they had been in contact with Great Yarmouth Police.
They added: 'Just been with the police. Mini soccer goals wrecked, under-9s and full-size goals wrecked. This could destroy our youth section.
'It's gutting for the kids, police have been brilliant tonight though.'
Anne McEwan who lives near the site said: 'I feel for the poor school kids and football players who use the field as they can't use it as long as they are on there.'
David McNally added: 'It's annoying but they are causing no harm and if they weren't here they would be on another field somewhere.'
Leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Graham Plant, confirmed on Twitter that 'environmental health, police and school [were] all aware and taking legal steps to remove.'
It is thought the field was identified as being at high risk of attracting travellers when a scheme to build 12 affordable homes on former railway land off Salisbury Road was turned down in 2014.
