THE five caravans which invaded the Lodge Lane layby last week have now moved on.
They arrived on Wednesday of last week after, it is believed, being removed from the B&Q site, and were gone by Friday night, 30th March 2012, following the serving of a county council notice to quit and frequent police visits, including the CCTV van which has been used a few times in the parish recently..
Our vice-chairman, Cllr Maxine Chew, was told of the illegal parking as quickly as it happened. She called police, and then rang the county council to arrange a 48-hour notice to quit as well as asking for bollards to be erected on the ‘open’ end, which was mounted by the invading vehicles.
Police reported at the time: “The area in which they were situated remains as classed as a highway, therefore, Mr Gregson from Lancashire County Council, in company with a Police Sergeant, has been to Lodge Lane. An appropriate Notice to Leave has been served, instructing the travellers to leave the area by Monday, which they expressed was their intention.”
Maxine is to continue pressing the county for bollards to close off the area the travellers’ caravans were able to traverse. Ironically, the laybywe closed only last year at great expense was aimed at deterring unwelcome visitors of a different kind and still had another phase to complete, namely filling in part with soil to prevent caravans entering…