There was a large police presence at a Traveller site in Bolton this morning as the caravan park was shut down by council officials.
Travellers have lived at Crompton Lodge, in the Moses Gate area, for around 20 years. But authorities have linked the site to 'escalating violence and criminality'.
Greater Manchester Police said that guns have been hidden in toilet blocks at the site, 'large-scale' episodes of disorder have broken out and knife-point robberies have taken place. Last month, Bolton Council started the process of closing down the site but families vowed to stay.
READ NEXT: Emergency crews block road after elderly woman knocked down by car
Today (July 8), a large police response was pictured outside the entrances to the site and on Moses Gate. A number of Tactical Aid Unit vans were pictured lining the road, as well as the GMP dogs unit.
Officers could be seen going in and out of the site beside the 'closure order' sign that has been erected outside. The order, granted by a Manchester court, stated that 'access to the premises is prohibited by all persons' until October 3.
It stops families from going back onto the caravan site once they have left. 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."
