Travellers on Swanshurst Park off Yardley Wood Road (Image: Photographer)

Travellers move back onto popular Swanshurst Park in south Birmingham

Dozens of caravans at the scene in Billesley

by · Birmingham Live

Travellers have moved onto a family park in South Birmingham, months after their last incursion. Dozens of caravans have parked up on Swanshurst Park off Yardley Wood Road in Billesley.

Images showed the entrance filled with 4X4s and trailers with some reportedly advertising business services. The park hosts funfairs and a circus in the summer months.

It is normally a haven for dog walkers and others enjoying the open spaces and tree-lined pathways. The last convoy to set up camp on the park was back on May 17, with multiple incursions before that.

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Members of a local Facebook said they had reported the travellers to the council so eviction proceedings could be enacted.

Birmingham City Council said previously it would take steps to recover land when there are illegal encampments. It said: "Birmingham City Council is committed to actively protecting its land and will take steps to recover this land where unauthorised encampments encroach upon it.

Birmingham: A Child Poverty Emergency

Child poverty is soaring in Birmingham and without urgent change, will only get worse. Having worked with charities and community groups, BirminghamLive is campaigning for the following changes to start to turn the tide:

  1. End the two-child benefit cap
  2. Provide free school meals to every child in poverty
  3. Create a city “aid bank” for baby and child essentials
  4. Protect children’s and youth services
  5. Create permanent, multi year Household Support Fund and give more Discretionary Housing grants
  6. Set up child health and wellbeing hubs in our most deprived neighbourhoods
  7. Appoint a Birmingham child poverty tsar
  8. Provide free public travel for young people

You can see why in more detail here.

Read our full report Birmingham: A Child Poverty Emergency here.

What you can do to help.

"The council has useable transit sites and plots for use by the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community – which is in line with Government policy – and details of the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment carried out and updated in 2019 can be found on our website."