Travellers move in to Cheltenham racecourse
Travellers have set up camp at Cheltenham racecourse for the second time this year, weeks away from the start of the National Hunt season.
The racecourse says its fixtures will not be affected by the group, who arrived on Wednesday (September 14).
The contingent of more than 30 travellers has already been served an eviction notice by the course’s lawyers, and is expected to move on within five working days.
While the Jockey Club Racecourses’ track is usually “quiet” during the summer, it hosts its first meeting on October 21.
Cheltenham communications manager Sophia Dale said: “We have no expectation that they will still be here by that point at this time.
“We’ve taken the necessary legal proceedings for their eviction. Hopefully it will happen at some point in the next week.
“As it’s private land we don’t need to go through the council or the police.”
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The group has been able to access the site via the main drive, which does not have gates, and has set up camp in a car park near the train station, away from the main enclosures.
“They have not caused any trouble,” Ms Dale added. “I’m not aware of any problems and we will clean up after them. In our previous experience they have only stayed for four days.
“While car parking is always important [for our fixtures], it’s not something we’re currently looking at, as five weeks is quite a long time.”
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Cheltenham’s last fixture was on April 27th and a group of travellers first arrived in early summer, but left when an eviction notice was served.
The track hosts 16 racedays a year, with the highlight Cheltenham Festival meeting taking place in March, and welcoming crowds of about 260,000 spectators.
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