A GROUP of travellers who live at a permanent site in the Ewood area of Blackburn have lodged a petition with the council calling for their facilities to be improved.

Among their complaints are a lack of privacy, football supporters urinating in view of children and “rats as large as small dogs”.

They have also raised the issue of high electricity and water charges, a lack of heating in the showers, problems with fly-tipping, and flooding.

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In a letter to Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, the travellers said: “This community is our home. We are British Gipsies, who have been here since the ninth century.

“We deserve housing standards like everyone else. We embrace our culture.

“We live in our trailers out of choice, but that does not mean we should live in the dark ages.”

The travellers are also objecting to the construction of a new road close to the site, part of the Pennine Reach scheme, which they argue will pose a danger to their children.

They have further complained that the building work makes their site look like a “concentration camp”.

In the letter, they said: “They are making a new road near us, which we feel will be a hazard to our children.

“We also feel it will be dangerous and unhealthy. There are a lot of sick children, some visually impaired and old people. We fear the road is going to be a danger to them.

“Our caravan site has no play area for the children, and all the trees have been taken down, giving us no privacy.

“When there is a football match on, supporters are urinating by the caravan site and in front of our children.”

“When we try to speak to them, they call us ‘dirty gypsies’ and ‘pikeys’.“We have lived here for many years and have friends in local shops telling us that the caravan site looks like a concentration camp.

“This is very embarrassing for us.The travellers have asked the council to make urgent improvements before winter sets in, or to be moved back to their original site, which is further from the road.

In response, the council said it would investigate the complaints, and officers would take any necessary action to deal with issues raised where their budget and powers allowed.

In a report to be looked at by the council’s executive board on Thursday, the council said: “The council does not have resources to undertake a significant refurbishment of the site or undertake a total rebuild of the site, but has always been willing to undertake the repairs which are its responsibility.

“If the council was to decide to allocate funding to move the site this would require planning permission.

“Regarding the electricity and water charges, the water charges are set by the water supply company.

“The electricity charges are negotiated with the supplier annually for the council and are currently lower than most domestic rates.

“In terms of fly-tipping, the council spent close to £4,000 in September clearing waste and accumulations, which were generated from the site.

“The site has been plagued with fly-tipping and attempts have been made to investigate and prosecute the culprits.

“Sadly, staff trying to provide services regularly get intimidated and are not given the necessary information to enable them to successfully investigate the fly-tipping.”

Council officers suggest the authority consults with residents on the installation of heating in the showers.