A builder from Brighton staged a one-man protest about the council’s approach to dealing with travellers this afternoon (Wednesday 31 August).
The 40-year-old father of three parked his van across the entrance to Hove Town Hall at lunchtime and stayed until the end of the afternoon.
The man, who asked not to be named, said that he had been driven to protesting after he said that travellers moved into Withdean Park for the fourth time this year.
He said that the travellers, who arrived soon after a group was evicted from Wild Park, had been driving their vehicles round the park and damaging property.
The man said that he had tried reporting anti-social and illegal behaviour to Sussex Police and Brighton and Hove City Council but had become frustrated by their unwillingness to act.
He said that he now regarded the park as unsafe for his three daughters and others felt the same, such as dog walkers and other parents.
He urged the council and the police to uphold the law rather than applying different standards for different groups of people.
A council spokesman said that once staff had assessed the situation and decided that the building could still be safely evacuated in an emergency, they had decided just to keep a watching brief and let the man protest.
