I respect your stance but everyone who has replyed including myself is only speaking from personal experience, I am afraid to say that some travellers/gypsies have given themselves this reputaion and it is extremely hard to forgive and forget when it is still happening. I am yet to meet a traveller/gypsy who has not done the fore mentioned. I wish i could say differently

Travellers , Pikeys , Gypos, Tinkers ... have the right to live their life as they choose, they don't pay council tax in much the same way as they didn't pay rates, they have no property of a rateable value.. they do however still contribute to society in general.. Car tax...The enormous tax on petrol/deisel.. is Gypo food ,clothes etc tax free???....NO....
Many are transient and self supporting they do not make any benefit claims even their legal entitlements! Of course they are as entitled to the next person to get ambulance fire & police assistance .. we don't say that the long term unemployed who incedentally ARE taking from the state, should have no emergency services... Since time imemorable gypies have been treated with suspicion and condemnation because their life style differs from the one "dictated" to be normal, is it any wonder that they are defensive/aggresive of their lifestyle and view many people as their enemies,People hate them because of what they represent without ever knowing 1 single thing about them as people, they are all condemned to the lowest common denominator ...in the past if your kid had run off you were told the gypos had it... in modern lore... they now steal dogs ...
Why do the council find it neccasary to block access to common land...... because they are trying to stop the travellers from travelling!! all the unsightly mounds of builders rubble the council drop in an attempt to block access to public land,round our local park they.. the council... have dropped all manor of stuff including rusty sheets of corrugated iron.... very safe!
Why not just let them use the land and provide a skip ???

Rachel

I repeat...
In fact when they moved to Fareham the council there put skips on the land so they could fill those instead, did they NO!
They dumped on the land when there was a peaceful offering of skips so as the tax payers did not have to fork out for the clean up fee.
This is documented and you will find this information available to view at Fareham borough council.

It's disappointing that most people only see the negative side and it is sad that the actions of a few get the whole community a bad name

Of course, I have come across a few who are up to all sorts, but then again, i could walk you down any street in my own neighbourhood and point out half a dozen who are up to all sorts too

As has already been said there is a minority in any group of people that give the group of people a bad name. Sadly Zuba appears to have encountered a minority. A minority of dog owners spoil it for the rest of us and make our lives more difficualt, it is the same in every section of society.

It is far too easy to write off an entire community, far too easy and I'm afraid in my opinion, wrong.

I completely agree that there are others up to all sorts in there homes and what not but as long as they dont bring it to my house or to any place where i take my dog or my neices and nephews then I dont see it and I cannot comment. I am only complaining about what I have seen.

As for people claiming benefits I dont see that either, the government does not print a list of whos getting what so I cannot presume that paople are taking benefits they are not intitled to and I can assure you if I did know of someone I would be the first to call the authorities.

I have looked at Fhm council and can't see the info but did find an interesting bit about Gypsies have rights ... help us by reporting any vulnerable land thay may stay on Good old council give with one hand take with the other .....
Oh and by the way I believe that the council would "edit" the truth to suit the mass belief that gypsies are filthy scum...
Maybe the skip got full and they had no where to put their waste... but of course, much better to believe that they are a sub human race incapable of even basic hygiene...
Rachel

I can name at least 20 times travellers have left parks near me in a mess, I cannot name one time that they haven't. So if it is a minority like you say, then the majority of them are in Portsmouth/Hampshire.

Considering their are at least 12 million gypsies I would say you have met a minority!

Lots of travellers round here- they leave a mess, lots of burglaries, steal dogs, who wants people who have noting to give- they just take....