BOROUGH chiefs must take urgent action to build a permanent Traveller site in Ellesmere Port.

That's the view of community leader Maurice Brookes, who says the £1,500-a-time cost of dealing with illegal encampments in the town is an 'unfair' burden on Council Tax-payers.

Mr Brookes, chairman of the Stud Farm Residents and Tenants Association, hit out at council bosses who last week revealed there have been 57 camps in the borough since 2005. It had cost a total of £85,000 to deal with all of them.

The money was spent on legal costs and clear-up charges.

Mr Brookes has long campaigned for a permanent Traveller site to stop groups trespassing on and wrecking public land.

And he says his stance cost him votes in the last council election.

He said: 'I'd like to know the full cost when the council has included all the peripheral things.

'But this is nothing new. I've known about the cost of dealing with Travellers for many years.

'It's been going on for a long time, longer than the figures given, and in that time, with all the money spent, the council could have built, say, a luxury hotel here instead.

'This is just not fair on the Council Tax-paying residents of Ellesmere Port.

'It's action we need and we need a site to be made.

'This council is very good at talking the talk but we need them to walk the walk now.'

As of yesterday, Travellers were refusing to leave an illegal camp on a car park opposite the Boat Museum. They had been told the previous week to leave by the borough council but failed to do so.

A council spokesman said: 'We've got to go to court again on Friday to evict them. They have been served with a letter telling them about this court date.'

Mr Brookes said of this encampment: 'The mess there is disgusting. It's time we did something. Why should the taxpayers pick up the bill?

'It's a priority issue and, in fact, my point of view cost me votes when I stood in Central ward in the last borough council election. My share of the vote dropped from last time.'