A large police force was seen at a Traveller site this morning (July 8) as council officials closed down the caravan park with families told to leave.
The Crompton Lodge site, located in the Moses Gate area, has been home to Travellers for approximately two decades. However, authorities have associated the site with 'escalating violence and criminality'.
Police reported that guns have been concealed in the site's toilet blocks, 'large-scale' episodes of disorder have broken out and knife-point robberies have taken place. Last month, the local council initiated the process of closing the site, despite families' vowing to remain.
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A substantial police response was observed on Monday at the site entrances and along Moses Gate, the M.E.N reports. Several Tactical Aid Unit vans were seen lining the street, accompanied by the GMP dogs unit.
Officers were spotted entering and exiting the site next to the 'closure order' sign posted outside. The order, issued by a Manchester court, prohibits all persons from accessing the premises until October 3.
This prevents families from returning to the caravan site once they have departed. A spokesperson for GMP said officers 'assisted council staff in executing a closure order'.
The spokesperson confirmed that occupants on the site 'vacated the premises without issue'. They added that those who have tenancy agreements with Bolton Council 'are being supported'.
The M.E.N has contacted Bolton Council for further information on the activity at Crompton Lodge today. In a statement, a GMP spokesperson said: "There was a police presence around Crompton Lodge in Bolton this morning (08/07/2024) while we assisted council staff in executing a closure order to prohibit access to the caravan park.
"Occupants vacated the premises without issue and residents who have a tenancy agreement with Bolton Council are being supported throughout the closure process."
Last month, a number of families in the Traveller community said they would not give up their battle to keep the site running. Kathleen Moloney moved to Crompton Lodge in 2004. She said she lives with her six children - aged 21, 17, 12, 11, eight and six - and her elderly uncle as one of seven families on the site.
The full-time mum said: "I've been at that site for 20 years - my four babies were born there, and now they want to shut the place down. It's about our human rights - we're just being cut off.
"We're going to have to live on the streets. We've got to fight for this place because it's our home - all our babies are here.
"It's not just about plots and static homes - it's about the women and kids having to leave their homes. My eldest has a heart condition - having to deal with all of this is the last thing I need."
Kathleen said some of the families on the site have lived there for two decades. Bolton Council claimed 'nuisance' at the site has escalated to violence in the last six months, including an attack on a police liaison officer.
But Kathleen insisted that innocent members of the Traveller community should not be made to suffer. "They're saying there's been crime on the site," she added.
"It feels like they're saying there's crime in our community. But it can't be true - if there were guns on our home address, why wasn't it closed down years ago. Why weren't social services taking our kids?"
Eviction notices were placed on some caravans at the site last month. Earlier, a Bolton Council spokesperson said: "As a council, we fully recognise our statutory duty to make provisions for the Traveller community."
"However, we have now reached a point where it is no longer possible to safely maintain and run this site, despite a number of joint interventions over many years. Due to repeated hostility, council employees and contractors are unable to visit without a police escort, and this is no longer sustainable."
"We are now seeking a closure order for Crompton Lodge, including for those that are legally tenanted to live there, so we can regain control of the site and make it safe and secure for the local community."
