Pub anti-traveller sign removed

The sign was in a pub in the division covering Flintshire and Wrexham

A senior police officer has raised concerns about a "bigoted and unpleasant" sign banning travellers from entering a pub.

North Wales Police assistant chief constable Ian Shannon was on a licensing visit when he saw the notice.

Writing in his blog, Mr Shannon said it was worrying that the owner did not recognise the sign was inappropriate.

The matter was reported to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and the sign has been removed.

Mr Shannon did not name the venue, but said it was in the force's eastern division, which covers Flintshire and Wrexham.

He wrote: "I was on patrol with a neighbourhood officer on our eastern division and made a licensing visit to a pub and was greeted by a sign on the door saying 'Polite notice- positively no travellers'.

"For starters this hardly seemed polite - bigoted and unpleasant is closer to the truth.

"The fact that the pub manager and others did not recognise this is worrying."

Mr Shannon mentioned the outbreak of violence against travellers and Gypsies in Italy which has been in the news recently.

He commented: "Whilst I do not suggest that the extreme violence that has manifested itself in Italy is coming to north Wales we cannot complacently believe that the prejudice that underlies the violence is not lurking in the background here."