Traveller encampment ordered to leave Abington Park after 'numerous reports of anti-social behaviour'

A mum-of-two has today claimed she was 'thumped' by a group of travellers' after she told a group to stop picking up her baby.
By The Newsroom
Published 7th Jun 2018, 17:06 BST
Updated 19th Jun 2018, 16:32 BST
Travellers' have been ordered to leave Abington Park before 3pm today.Travellers' have been ordered to leave Abington Park before 3pm today.
Travellers' have been ordered to leave Abington Park before 3pm today.

The victim, who has asked for anonymity, was at Abington Park yesterday with her two children when her one-year-old was at the top of the slide before the group picked her up.

She said: "Someone picked her up under her arms and was about to throw her down the slide. I yelled: 'no put her down' and ran straight round to the steps where the child set her down and was about to push her down those instead.

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"I climbed straight up and grabbed her, said something to the effect of 'she’s one, she’s a baby, don’t you dare touch her', and turned round to go back down the stairs with her and was thumped in the back twice.

A series of wooden bollards were put up along Abington Park last week...A series of wooden bollards were put up along Abington Park last week...
A series of wooden bollards were put up along Abington Park last week...

"My friend, who was over on another slide with my older one, saw and said it looked like one punch and one kick."

More than 10 caravans, motorhomes and accompanying vehicles moved onto the football pitches of Abington Park Crescent yesterday (Wednesday, June 6).

Workmen were seen installing rows of wooden bollards along the length of the street a week ago - but it seems the group has driven around them.

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Anti-social behaviour sergeant, Wyn Hughes, today said: “Over the past 24 hours we have received numerous reports of anti-social behaviour being committed by a group of travellers in Abington Park, a number of which we are investigating.

... But the encampment appears to have lifted one of them out of the ground to gain access to the field.... But the encampment appears to have lifted one of them out of the ground to gain access to the field.
... But the encampment appears to have lifted one of them out of the ground to gain access to the field.

“Today we have issued a Section 61 Notice, a police power which requires the group to leave the area by 3pm.

“Behaviour of this nature puts our communities in fear and disrupts the lives of those in the area – this is something we will not tolerate.”

No arrests have been made.

She added: "I spoke to a dad, who was there, whose children had also been upset by these kids.

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"My three-year-old was shoved about by them and was very upset by this - seeing them shout at and hit me."We left and I rang the police who were too busy to send anyone [they] can’t come to us until Sunday afternoon.

"I got home and posted about it online where I found others saying they’d been hurt by this group, and apparently after more police reports they finally turned up."

A spokesman for Northamptonshire County Council today said: “As a result of anti-social behaviour, an unauthorised encampment of Travellers in Abington Park, Northampton, have been served with a Section 61 Notice by police.

“This means that the group must leave the site today.”