Ben Hendry
Travellers who have taken up residence beside Moray Council’s new £300,000 cycle path claim they are being “victimised” by the local authority.
The group has pitched up at a spot on the outskirts of Elgin, to the rear of the Moycroft industrial estate and just yards away from the new path linking the town with Lhanbryde.
The council has accused the group of damaging a bollard in order to bring several caravans and cars onto the site.
And officials have argued the travellers are creating a safety risk by driving those vehicles across the cycle path, which is used by hundreds of people every day.
A Moray Council spokesman explained that one cyclist had already experienced a “close call” involving a van making its way towards the patch.
He said: “We responded to a complaint from a member of the public, who experienced a near-miss with a van while using the cycle path.
“The traffic bollard, preventing vehicle access to the cycle path, has been removed, and we will be replacing it.
“The popular traffic-free path is used by hundreds of walkers and cyclists, and our first concern is the safety of these path users.”
However, one of the travellers claimed yesterday that the group was being unfairly picked on.
The man, who did not wish to be named, said: “When was the last time the council did anything for travellers in the Elgin area, except victimise them?
“Travelling culture is the most discriminated-against culture in the UK.
“But this place won’t be left in a mess, and we are treating the area with respect.
“This patch isn’t being used by anyone else and we don’t feel we are in the way of anything here.”
The travellers, who are from the local area, cannot legally be moved from the spot as the council does not have a camp to accommodate them.
Elgin City South councillor, John Divers, said setting up on a flood plain could prove unwise in the event of heavy rain.
He added: “The travellers say they are being discriminated against, but people have these concerns because of past incidents where they have left behind a mess which has had to be tidied at public expense.”
