Barely a week goes by without yet another report of travellers leaving the city's parks and playing fields in a complete mess.

Let’s not beat about the bush. This is fly-tipping which is a criminal offence and can attract an unlimited fine.

In most cases of fly-tipping it is quite difficult for the council and/or police to determine who is responsible and so prosecutions and fines are rare.

With travellers on unauthorised encampments, the council and police know exactly who is responsible – they can hardly deny it – yet apparently do nothing to recover clear up costs from the fly-tipping when the travellers are evicted.

This is disgraceful, particularly at a time when the council’s budget is stretched and services are having to be cut.

In the last year alone, evictions, clear up and repairs have cost council taxpayers £246,000.

That is a quarter of a million pounds that should be spent on essential services for residents.

I would like to make a suggestion. When the council goes to court, they should award costs against the travellers to cover the expense of the clear up and any repairs to gates, bollards etc.

If they arrive as a collective they should take responsibility as a collective for what is a criminal offence. That it is very reasonable to suggest that if they refuse to pay they should not be allowed to come back to the city. Either clear up or clear off.

Coun Dawn Barnett, Conservative, Hangleton and Knoll