Traveller caravans illegally stationed at a Wigan borough Morrisons car park

Caravans illegally stationed on a Wigan borough supermarket car park have been causing problems for years, it has been claimed.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

They took over a section of the site belonging Morrisons on the Leigh Sports Village last weekend.

A resident, who asked not to be named, claimed in recent years, there has been problems with litter and extra traffic.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
Read More
a big fall in the amount of drugs seized by Greater Manchester Police last year
The illegally parked caravans on the Morrisons car parkThe illegally parked caravans on the Morrisons car park
The illegally parked caravans on the Morrisons car park

The caravans have now left, Morrisons and Wigan council bosses said.

A spokesperson for the local authority added: “Height restriction barriers are in place to prevent unauthorised encampments at Leigh Sports Village.

“LSV management and the council also work closely with Morrisons and GM police to ensure any unauthorised encampments on the supermarket car park are removed as quickly as possible.

“We do have prevention measures in place to deter travellers from stopping such as gates, locks, CCTV, continuous monitoring of car parks up to 16 hours a day,” an email sent on behalf of Morrisons CEO David Potts to the concerned resident said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
The caravans on the Morrisons car park have been causing problems for years, it has been claimedThe caravans on the Morrisons car park have been causing problems for years, it has been claimed
The caravans on the Morrisons car park have been causing problems for years, it has been claimed

“However, this isn’t always enough, as you said it is tougher when a site is impacted by sports clubs and event days.

“We work with the police and the court system to legally and ethically move travellers along. This can be a long process as it involves steps in a succession based on a timeline, including verbal requests, written requests, and police requests.

“It is not as simple as just kicking the groups off. If they don’t leave on requests, we then proceed through the court systems and an eviction process which can take months.”

Morrisons declined to comment.