A COUNCIL has been left to cover the cost of clearing a public space which has been left in a ‘disgraceful’ state by travellers who illegally occupied the site.

The green area located near Blaina Wharf pub in Newport, which is by the side of the SDR, was occupied by travellers in June. They vacated the site on Tuesday night and left behind large amount of rubbish in the area including fridges, shower units and a children’s roundabout. They also damaged the grassy area at the site when vehicles moved from the area.

A spokeswoman for Newport City Council said: “We can confirm that the illegal encampment at Blaina Wharf has been vacated.

“A team of council workers are now clearing the site, repairing any damage and will be securing the site to try and prevent future access.”

Manager of Discount Tyres, Richie Cousins, which is located next to the site said they did not have any issues while the travellers were at the site, but they feared that it could have deterred potential customers.

He said: “They left a disgraceful mess behind. There used to be runners who used the area at the weekend, that all stopped as soon as they moved in.

“It’s bad for business too, it is a deterrent for some people because they don’t like it. We’re happy they are gone.”

Discount Tyres staff member David Dare added: “There was about seven or eight caravans on the site. They put people off walking down the area, on the weekend you would get a lot of people here but they stopped coming.”

Yesterday, travellers moved onto a vacant site in the Maesglas retail estate in Newport, which once housed Poundstretcher. However, it is not known if these groups are connected.

When asked about traveller sites in June, Newport City Council said: “Newport does not currently have an official transit site for travellers passing through the city to use.

“That said, it is also not acceptable for private or publicly owned land to be illegally occupied, especially when it is subsequently left in a state of disrepair or blighted with refuse.

“The council will continue to work with land owners and Gwent Police whenever land is illegally occupied by travellers, and it would appeal to the travelling community to treat land in Newport with respect. We encourage all travellers to procure the relevant civic services from the council.”

According to the property consultants in charge of the Maesglas site the owner of the land knows about the travellers and they are in the process of assessing the situation.