Police action requested at gypsy fair (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Police action requested at gypsy fair

POLICE have been urged to get tough with young troublemakers at Stow-on-the-Wold's biannual gypsy horse fair.

The most recent of the one-day fairs was estimated to be a third bigger than usual.

More than 300 caravans were counted at the fair's venue - a gypsy-owned Maugersbury Road field just into neighbouring Maugersbury parish.

As usual, many travellers camped and traded on verges outside the field, blocking Maugersbury Road with crowds.

Some townsfolk complain the fair is getting too big and gypsies arrive increasingly early.

Stow Primary School's outdoor activity area was vandalised and various nuisance incidents were reported to police.

At the fair, trader Ramon Harrison said a minority of youngsters spoilt the event.

He said local police are not as tough with troublemakers as their colleagues at Appleby, Cumbria, where England's other major gypsy fair is held.

Mr Harrison said: "At Appleby, there's no messing about. One go and you're off."

Tom Morris, Stow Town Council's representative on a working party formed to improve the fair, said traders are compiling an anti-fair petition after many again closed their shops because of intimidation from visiting youngsters.

He said: "The police policy is to be non-confrontational. "I appreciate the police have a difficult job in controlling this thing but I think they could be more active in controlling young people."

Stow police's Sergeant Martin Jones said it went "very well", apart from minor nuisance offences and traffic problems attributed to increased numbers of visitors.

He said: "It was a very busy fair but, thanks to a local farmer opening an additional field off Oddington Road, we were able to cope."

Vera Norwood, Stow's ex-mayor and a vice-president of the Gypsy Council for Education, Welfare and Civil Rights, said it went well and the field was big enough to cope.

She said it was mainly antique shops that closed, while stores that stayed open did good business.

She added: "We don't want travelling kids that are badly behaved.

"We want more police around the town.

"The police are concentrated down the fair where the gypsy parents are and the kids are well behaved."