Caravans illegally stationed at Morrisons car park

Caravans illegally stationed at a Morrisons car park have been causing problems for years, it has been claimed.

They took over a section of the site belonging to the supermarket chain on the Leigh Sports Village last weekend. A resident, who asked not to be named, claimed in recent years, there has been problems with litter and extra traffic.

The caravans have now left, Morrisons and Wigan council bosses said.

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A spokesperson for Wigan Council said: “Height restriction barriers are in place to prevent unauthorised encampments at Leigh Sports Village.

“LSV management and the council also work closely with Morrisons and GM police to ensure any unauthorised encampments on the supermarket car park are removed as quickly as possible.”

“We do have prevention measures in place to deter travellers from stopping such as gates, locks, CCTV, continuous monitoring of car parks up to 16 hours a day,” an email sent on behalf of Morrisons CEO David Potts to the concerned resident said. “However, this isn't always enough, as you said it is tougher when a site is impacted by sports clubs and event days.

“We work with the police and the court system to legally and ethically move travellers along. This can be a long process as it involves steps in a succession based on a timeline, including verbal requests, written requests, and police requests.

“It is not as simple as just kicking the groups off. If they don't leave on requests, we then proceed through the court systems and an eviction process which can take months.”