A community which spent almost a week “under siege” from travellers wants a showdown meeting with Kirklees Council.
Trevor Simpkins, landlord of the Wappy Springs Inn at Lindley Moor, said the council had let local people down.
A group of travellers set up an illegal camp on the Heatherleigh playing fields in Lindley Moor Road last week.
They finally moved off late on Saturday afternoon leaving an angry community – and a mountain of waste.
The mess left behind included human excrement, dirty nappies and rotting food.
Council lawyers were due to go to court today to seek an eviction order, nine days after the 16 or so caravans rolled up.
Mr Simpkins, who lost trade because of the travellers across the road, said residents felt badly let down and wanted a public meeting to vent their anger.
“The council don’t seem to be taking this seriously and it’s been very badly handled in my view,” he said.
Mr Simpkins, who has had an email exchange with council leader Mehboob Khan over the issue, said: “We saw the Prime Minister David Cameron saying the other week that local authorities had powers to act quickly but Mehboob Khan says that’s not the case and it’s all political rhetoric.
“David Cameron and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles say these powers are available but Kirklees say that’s not the case.
“Someone is not being 100% truthful and we want a public meeting to get to the bottom of it.”
Residents claim they were subjected to a week-long nightmare.
There were claims of assaults, thefts and intimidation.
Bill Brown, 75, who lives at the side of the playing fields, told how he turned his home into a “fortress” and added: “I didn’t leave for six days.
“It was horrendous. The community was under siege.”
Bill said: “The travellers just frightened everybody off. I was left on my own.”
Council workmen yesterday cleared the site.
While some travellers had piled up black bin liners bulging with rubbish, others had just dumped waste under trees and in the undergrowth.
Items left behind included stacks of Argos catalogues, a tent, a burned out car battery, a child’s ride-on toy and a wire supermarket basket.
Residents reportedly saw travellers defecating in the fields, prowling local streets and begging for lifts in passing cars.
Mr Simpkins said even as the travellers were leaving they tried to get money.
“One of them pulled into the car park and said: ‘Give us £50 and we’ll go’. Then another pulled up and wanted £100.
“Then they started arguing amongst themselves. I told them whether it was £50 or £100 they weren’t getting anything from me.”
Clr Cahal Burke (Lib Dem, Lindley) said the council had acted as quickly as the law allowed.
“There are powers in place but you still have to go to court and the travellers know they have a week or two before we can move them on,” he said.
“Even a few days is a long time to residents who suffer torment and abuse.
“There are powers but there is still a drawn out process to go through.”
Clr Burke said improved security barriers would be installed at council recreation grounds, including those at Lindley, Reinwood and Salendine Nook, within two weeks.
Clr Khan said confusion was caused by a Government announcement on guidelines for dealing with managed travellers’ sites, not illegal camps.
He said he would like to see travellers’ vehicles seized and impounded.
