Published: Thursday, 15th July, 2010 7:05am

Travellers warn MSP: 'We'll be back'

by Siew Peng Lee

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THE large group of travellers who set up camp in Dalgety Bay last week moved out on Friday - but they say they'll be back.

Dunfermline East MSP Helen Eadie, pictured at the site with husband, Councillor Bob Eadie, told the Press this week the travellers concerned said they would return "in the next fortnight".

It was estimated there were more than 35 caravans parked at vacant land at the end of Ferris Way in Donibristle Industrial Estate in Dalgety Bay.

Ingenico and Dynamic EMS, who jointly own the land, got an interdict on Thursday to remove them but the travellers upped sticks before it could be served.

It was reported that the travellers decamped to a site outside Edinburgh but a few caravans pitched up down the road at Belleknowes industrial estate in Inverkeithing, before moving on Monday.

However, they left a messy trail in Dalgety Bay in their wake.

Mrs Eadie said, "I first became involved a week past Monday when our phone was ringing non-stop with complaints about the travelling people having set up on an unofficial site on the business park in Dalgety Bay.

"The complaints that I was made aware of from a variety of sources was that Asda staff observed a huge upturn in the use of their toilet facilities and were very upset at the state the travelling people left in the toilets with faeces all over the walls.

"Another business complained that one of the travelling people drove straight into their premises, proceeded to draw down water from their supply, which is metered, without permission and didn't give any payment in exchange.

"Another major employer complained of the rear of their premises being used as urinals and another big company had to employ extra security for the time of their stay there.

"Some of the companies on the business park are global companies and their top management will see this as a security threat to their companies.

"This is not an official travelling people site and no-one has the right to simply turn up and use it as one.

"The extra costs and upset to these firms are of serious concern to me."

Dalgety Bay residents had also voiced fears over the amount of "trash and human waste left behind".

Mrs Eadie told the Press she understood the needs of travelling people but added, "These of course need to be balanced against the rights of local residents not to suffer undue disturbance and disruption."

The site was cleared on Friday and large boulders have now been put in place at the Ferris Way site to prevent travellers from accessing it again.

Mrs Eadie has arranged a meeting on Monday, which will include the police, Dalgety Bay Community Council, Fife Council officials, local councillors and Donibristle-based firms Ingenico, Dynamic EMS and Rolls-Royce, to address the matter.

She said, "The challenge now is that the travelling people concerned said that they would be back within the next fortnight.

"I have therefore convened a special meeting of appropriate agencies and representatives for next week to share and exchange information and ensure that we can respond efficiently to any further attempts to settle on the business park.

"Meantime I shall check with the Scottish Parliament on what the Scottish Government has done and plans to do in the future to address the sort of concerns that we have experienced locally on this issue."