Traveller site where 'guns and drugs were hidden in toilet blocks' was 'no longer safe' say council chiefs

A traveller site in Bolton where guns were found was 'no longer safe' council chiefs say after police were called in to help close it down. But town hall bosses insist they are helping residents to temporarily relocate.

A court last week issued a three-month closure order for Crompton Lodge in the Moses Gate area of the town. Members of the traveller community have lived for around 20 years.

Bolton Council applied for the measure "following a series of incidents at the site involving drugs, serious violent crime, and firearms."

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Among the incidents that were cited were the use of toilet blocks to store drugs and guns, stolen vehicles being found on the site, and its CCTV cameras being repeatedly damaged.

Whilst there has also recently been a "serious" attack on a council liaison officer as well as the "illegal abstraction of electricity" which resulted in power being shut off at the site, the council say.

"Ongoing criminal and threatening behaviour had meant the site was no longer safe for residents, maintenance workers, visiting council staff, or other agencies" a council statement said.

"It was also negatively impacting residents living near to Crompton Lodge as well as placing a significant drain on both police and council resources."

The order was granted by Manchester Magistrates Court and states that 'access to the premises is prohibited by all persons' until October 3 this year. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers accompanied council officials to the site this morning (Monday, July 8) to enforce it.

A large police response was pictured outside the entrances to the site and on Moses Gate. A number of Tactical Aid Unit