FAMILIES living in a secluded traveller camp near Green Bottom say action by a small group of local residents to block them staying are 'bigoted' and 'prejudiced'.

And Joanne Nunan, currently living at the site, says claims that the travellers have not complied with planning permission granted two years ago are 'lies'.

Speaking on Monday at the little group of three green-painted caravans off a Forestry track by Welshbury Wood, she said every one of the conditions was in place but planners had been listening to detractors rather than coming out to see for themselves.

The temporary permission is now up for renewal with the Forest of Dean District Council but both the residents and Littledean Parish Council were set to oppose the camp.

Ms Nunan said the parish council too had listened to residents rather than viewing the situation at first hand.

"Anyone who comes here can see that we are doing nobody any harm," she said.

"We are a long way from other residents and a long way from most of Green Bottom let alone Littledean, which is miles away.

"The only condition we couldn't complete immediately was to get Severn Trent to bring water to the site – they were stopped last year because of foot and mouth – but it is in there now."

She also showed the Review site-screening saplings, currently leafless, which would soon grow into a thick hedge.

She said they had offered to met both the parish council and residents' representatives over the matter but their requests had been ignored.

"We have attempted at all times to adhere to the planning regulations, sometimes with hefty bills and a struggle, but we've kept at it."

The issue had been raised in the local press by a small number of people who just wanted to see the back of them, in spite of staying for several years with no problems.

"The residents of the travellers camp are peace loving people wishing to live close to and in harmony with the Earth, respecting the natural habitat," she said.

However residents' association member Peter McCoy said the travellers had broken regulations and should not be allowed to continue doing so.

Other problems included constant vehicular traffic to and from the site, parking across access to local homes by the track barrier and rubbish piled for collection by gateways being spread around by foxes.

People had felt threatened by dogs as they walked on the two public footpaths that crossed the site, and it was after all an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

"They don't care, basically," he said. While not everyone in the village was against the travellers 50 per cent were "bitterly opposed" and he hoped Flaxley residents would also back their opposition at a meeting this week.

The only area he was in agreement with the travellers on was the fact that nobody from the district council had ever viewed the site.

"They should have been enforcing the conditions all along," he said.

The one-and-a-half acre site is rented from a local farmer.

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