Who will be clearing up after them ? Who will be shifting the dumped cars ? Who will be repairing the damage to fences and land ? Who will be replacing the items now "missing" ?

Just the sort of racism the Travellers are protesting against!

The usual slur about litter.. in fact all too often unscrupulous local traders wanting to illegally fly-tip (dump rubbish without paying tip fees) will drop it at a Traveller site in the dead of night, knowing the families on the site will get the blame!

I think you are fighting a losing battle here. Those of us that have to put up with regular visits from Gypsies are well aware of what happens. You can't put a positive spin on everything you know.

My experience of gypsies over the last 15 years has been almost 100% negative despite the best attempts to build relationships. They DO leave rubbish and they DO steal, sorry but I'm afraid that is the truth.

Does anyone have the contact for the UK Roma Nation???

Up until four years ago I lived on the road. We traveled to festivles, events, protests and raves. I gave it up when it become clear that my dream of leaving society and all its restrictions was just not possible in Britain. Others with us seemed happy to claim from funds for support and not look after themselves.

Thre are many who justify theft with the "no one owns anything" line and yes I did accept items that had been stolen, something I now regret and reject.

Too many on the road are bitter toward society and see no reson to give anything back for its support of them

Can anybody tell me the difference between a traveller and a gypsy ? To discriminate against someone because of their ethnic background, a gypsy is clearly wrong but my understanding of true gypsies is that they hate the so called travellers who do little but give them a bad name.

My family are what you have called "ethnic gypsies" (as in Roma) and they do not hold scorn for other travellers... either indigenous travellers or so called new age travellers. They may be curious about new age travellers but there's no hostility. The Roma have been prosecuted enough to realise a certain live and let live ethos wins the day.

There are more than twelve million Roma located in many countries around the world. There is no way to obtain an exact number since they are not recorded on most official census counts. Many Roma themselves do not admit to their true ethnic origins for economic and social reasons. The Roma are a distinct ethnic minority, distinguished at least by Rom blood and the Romani, or Romanes, language, whose origins began on the Indian subcontinent over one thousand years ago. No one knows for certain why the original Roma began their great wandering from India to Europe and beyond, but they have dispersed worldwide, despite persecution and oppression through the centuries.

There have been several great migrations, or diaspora, in Romani history. The first was the initial dispersal from India about a thousand years ago. Some scholars suggest there may have been several migrations from India. The second great migration, known as the Aresajipe, was from southwest Asia into Europe in the 14th century. The third migration was from Europe to the Americas in the 19th and early 20th centuries after the abolition of Romani slavery in Europe in 1856-1864. Some scholars contend there is a great migration occurring today since the fall of the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe.

True Roma have no connection or sympathy with so called New Age Travellers. They have caused us problems and have led to increased discrimination. We resent and object to being classified with them.