The issue of travellers has been in the news recently. Many are simply people who have chosen a different way of life and prefer the open road to the cul-de-sac or close.

And whilst we may see that desire as a bit odd and opt for a less mobile lifestyle, we acknowledge the right of the minority to gratify their wanderlust and indeed make provision for them. 

Most Romanies and Travellers are law-abiding, many indeed have settled permanently in fixed homes and are productively involved in their communities.

But a high profile few think that their wandering ways mean that they do not have to conform to the law of the land and have tarnished the reputation of the majority.

The news that the travellers who occupied the site of the former Handy Cross sports centre left so much waste and detritus behind that the clearing up costs to the council tax payer amounted to over £40,000 is alarming.

There must be ways of recovering that money from the perpetrators.

They travel the country in vehicles that bear registration plates. They can be traced and held to account. The House of Commons discussed this week measures that will hopefully be brought in to curb these temporary incursions on to public and private land that result in damage and subsequent expense to the rest of us.

The car park of a recently closed pub near my home was occupied last month and when the travellers left, the evidence of their short stay was considerable and unpleasant and amounted to substantial fly-tipping, an offence which is investigated and prosecuted where detection is possible.

But unlike most fly-tippers, these offenders are easily identified and could be held to account. But there seems to be a reluctance or even fear of doing so.

I remember some years ago a local farmer had a tractor stolen and it was followed by a witness to an established traveller site some miles from this area.

The police refused to enter the encampment and when they returned in force the following day, the stolen tractor had of course gone.

There cannot be no-go areas for the police in Britain in 2017 and unless the police feel empowered and supported by stronger, clearer laws the actions of a few will continue to reinforce the prejudice against the majority.