6 days ago
Travellers terrorised families with drills and threatened to burn down their homes after they ask them to leave a park
Terrified residents claim travellers attacked their cars with drills and threatened to torch their homes after they begged them to leave a park.
Locals called police after a fleet of caravans and motorhomes pitched up on land by a cul-de-sac in Worcester.
Around five caravans moved onto Power Park in St Peters, Worcester, last Thursday.
The majority of the group moved off the site on Sunday afternoon and quick-thinking residents of Trefoil Close quickly padlocked the gates.
Fifteen minutes later a different group of travellers in 15 caravans and motorhomes arrived but were unable to manoeuvre around a parked car.
When the owner refused to move the car, one of the group smashed the windscreen with a drill while others stormed into the quiet close.
Shocked residents called 999 claiming they had been assaulted while one said a yob threatened to 'burn down their homes'.
Pictures show one bare-chested man and a woman in a leopard-print jumpsuit walking on the road past a police officer.
Other photos show cars which have been dented and had their windscreens smashed.
John Renshaw, chair of St Peter's Parish Council, said: 'At 5.45pm, the group which had been on Power Park left, but they left one of their vehicles behind.
'Fifteen or 20 minutes later, another group showed up but they couldn't get their vehicles past a car which was parked on the road.
'One traveller shouted to the owner, 'get your car out the f***ing way', he refused so they smashed his car up.
'They smashed his lights and drilled his windows with a power tool.'
Residents say several groups of travellers are playing a game of 'cat and mouse' with the authorities by constantly swapping sites in Worcester.
One resident, who did not want to be named, said: 'The travellers who had been here since Thursday swapped sites with the travellers who were at Perdiswell Leisure Centre.
'We had no warning this was going to happen to us.'
One resident said: 'They threatened to burn people's houses down, they have assaulted people, they tried to get into people's back gardens.
'It just feels surreal that this could have happened here. It's a quiet street.
'We feel like we are not going to be able to sleep for weeks after this.'
Residents also blasted West Mercia Police for their response to the illegal encampment.
Another resident said: 'We called 999 and the police said that four wagons were on their way, but they never came.
'It wasn't until we had to call for an ambulance for someone that the police finally arrived.'
Another woman added: 'When they saw the police van they turned away, but if the police move the van, we're in trouble. They'll get on the grass again no problem.'
The travellers managed to get onto the park despite a locked metal barrier at the entrance.
An elderly woman resident said: 'They came Thursday night and stayed a couple of days.
'We just called the police because the kids were naughty, and were going in people's gardens and pulling at their car doors.
'Some the children even went into an old man's garden and turned on his outside tap to fill buckets with water.
'Then on Sunday night 15 caravans came down the road. All of the residents came out and told them we don't want all these people here.
'One of them had an electric drill, and they started to drill the car's windscreen and said they would burn our houses.
'Some of them were pushing the kids. There was a woman fighting with a woman and a man hit one of the guys on his eye.
'Everyone is scared, those with kids are scared. Everyone is frightened. We're all stressed out and none of us can sleep.'
A standoff between the travellers, residents and police lasted for around an hour before they left.
Cllr Renshaw said: 'The police said they could either go into the caravans and arrest the people who assaulted the residents, or they could escort the caravans off the park.
'The residents did not want them yards away from where they were sleeping so they wanted the police to move them on. But they do not feel safe in their own home anymore.'
A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: 'Officers were called to Trefoil Close at around 7pm on Sunday following reports of disorder involving an unauthorised traveller encampment and local residents.
'There was a report of criminal damage to a vehicle and reports of assault, and enquiries are currently ongoing into these incidents.
'The group were directed to leave the area, which they complied with.
'Officers remained in the area to carry out patrols.'
Before the group arrived in Worcester, villagers in neighbouring Kempsey blocked the entrance to Kempsey Playing Fields with their cars.
