COUNCILLORS have said that putting up lots of fencing at the Playing Field in Wellington to try and prevent travellers from setting up unauthorised encampments will make the area look like a “prison camp.”

They have now called on Wellington Town Council’s chief executive Dave Farrow and his team to go back to the drawing board and come back with an alternative plan to increase security at the site.

The council’s environment committee had agreed on July 8 to recommend to full council that £12,000 be spent on extending existing fencing from the cricket nets round to the entrance from Beech Grove car park at the Playing Field to help secure the playing pitches from any incursion.

But some councillors were not keen on the idea when the matter was discussed by the full council on August 3.

Cllr Andy Govier said: “I think this will look over the top and make it look like a prison camp. I might exaggerate, but I do have concerns about this.

“Can’t we do more with the gate area which would help to stop people getting in there – it would look better than fencing.

“It’s a lot of money and won’t look very nice. To have it all fenced in would make the place look very regimental.”

And Cllr Keith Wheatley added: “If you start putting in lots of fencing it could start to look like Colditz.”

The council has been looking at security at its open spaces in Wellington following the unauthorised traveller encampment at Hoyles Road earlier this year.

Chief executive Dave Farrow said: “The concern we have is if travellers get in – the costs involved in sorting that out would be a lot more.

“It is a belts and braces approach that will add value to securing the site and stopping vehicles from getting on there.”

Cllr John Thorne said: “We have to do whatever we can to stop them.”

Cllr Ross Henley added: “If we do secure the site, they will look elsewhere.”

And Cllr Janet Lloyd said: “I don’t think the fencing would be out of character and we have to guard what is now our land the best we can.”

Councillors voted in favour of getting council officers to look again at the Playing Field security to see if it can be improved without lots of fencing.

They also voted in favour of spending £9,900 at the open spaces at Hoyles Road, Burrough Way and Cox Road by installing mounds of earth with a concrete brick barrier buried within the bund.

The discussion had started with Cllr Justin Cole calling into question where the money for the extra security was going to come from, as it had not been budgeted.

He said he was uncomfortable about spending around £20,000 of unbudgeted money – including £12,000 on a fence which he felt travellers would be able to get through.

Councillors agreed to make the funding available from general reserves, while Mr Farrow said they “needed to crack on” and do the work.