Clive Benson's view that the Crays Hill travellers are not entitled to any special treatment has truth in every sentence (Apr 14).

The travellers are there illegally. So why has the tedious business dragged on for so long?

Because some travellers are able to twist and abuse our democratic laws and are encouraged by an out-of-touch legal system, cowardly authorities and the naive and gullible chattering classes who see "racists under the bed" whenever the more streetwise members of our society rightly protest against such abuses.

Echo journalist Jon Austin has exposed what really goes on at the sordid Hovefields site and cuts through all the usual and false romantic nonsense written about (static) travellers.

As such, it should be submitted for the Pullitzer Prize for investigative journalism as an example of a small local newspaper tackling a social evil in the face of local authority impotence.


S Askham
Elmsleigh Drive
Leigh


...SAME old ongoing yearly story of itinerants in caravans invading East Beach for their yearly jolly!

What plonkers inhabit the council committee for wastrels and expenditure of clean up materials for this ongoing farce to continue? Let me guess! Echo page 3 - "Travellers leave site, big clean up begins"! "Human rights prevent interference!"

Sorry, but this will not do. There is a chap on the A127 near Brentwood who suffered yearly the visits of the travellers and the detritus they left in their wake. I felt sorry for him.

Then one year he hired a JCB to pile up so much earth and embankment that the travellers had nowhere to go, even though they lingered awhile hoping for an opening, but oh dear how sad they had to move onwards!

The land is now once again prime agricultural red gas cylinders removed, corn on the cob pay off the mortgage rewarding income for that put upon family.

No, I have no time for these mobile wastrels out to cause us misery. They should be moved on without sympathy or consideration.


Trevor Murdin
Flemming Crescent
Leigh