Gypsy hotline 'racist'

There are 17 official council run travellers' sites in Kent

A hotline for people to report illegal travellers in Kent has been branded racist.

Kent County Council plans to set up the telephone service to encourage people to report unauthorised camps.

But the group, Friends, Families and Travellers, has written to the council asking for it to withdraw its plans and said it could be discriminatory under the Race Discriminations Act.

Emma Nuttall from the group said: "At the moment legislation means travellers can be moved on every day - sometimes more than once a day.

The hotline is also available to the gypsies and travellers to give them friendly advice about where they can go Peter Lake, Kent County Council

"I think if people are encouraged to phone up, the moving of travellers could be even more frequent."

Travellers say there are not enough official sites in the county for them so they have to park where they can.

There are 218 pitches on the 17 council-run sites although this can rise to 313 if people are prepared to double up but on Friday the council said there were no vacancies.

Peter Lake, from Kent County Council, said: "The hotline is for people in Kent to report illegal encampments across the county and by reporting those encampments they can found out exactly what can be done and who is involved in the process.

"The hotline is also available to the gypsies and travellers to give them friendly advice about where they can go - so we believe it is a two way thing."

Mr Lake said he was campaigning to get more transit and stopping places for travellers in Kent.

He said the hotline would be manned by trained people 24 hours a day.