Travellers descend on restaurant car park near Chesterfield

A number of caravans are at the car park of The Telmere Lodge restaurant on Mansfield Road, Hasland.

The Telmere Lodge is permanently closed.

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More than £10,000 of taxpayers' cash was spent on dealing with illegal Gypsy and Traveller camps last year in Derbyshire.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) show Chesterfield Borough Council shelled out £10,838.34 after Gypsies and Travellers illicitly set up camp in seven separate locations during 2018.

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Councillor Chris Ludlow, Chesterfield Borough Council's cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: "In the last year, the council spent more than £10,000 in removing Gypsies and Travellers from illegal sites.

"This is money paid in council tax by our residents and, given that the council has lost more than half the funding it receives from the Government since 2010, this could be better spent elsewhere on the services we provide.

"We work closely with the police and other agencies and will continue to react quickly when faced with illegal encampments to make sure they are moved on as quickly as possible and so our facilities can remain open to the public."