SITE FOR SORE EYES
I live in caravan site so grim you’re better off in PRISON – rats rule the streets which reek of poo
The site was described as looking like a 'garden centre' years ago but has now changed
RESIDENTS who live in a grim caravan site have complained about foul smells and plagues of rats that rule the streets.
Denton Caravan Site in Gravesend, Kent, is home to eight Roma and Traveller families.
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They claim they have been abandoned by the local council and Royal Mail workers after being accused of "anti-social behaviour" towards staff.
Gravesham Borough Council run the site with each plot consisting of a static home, a shed for bathing facilities and space to keep trailers and caravans.
One resident, known as Priscilla, has been living in Denton for decades and first moved in when she was 16.
Priscilla says that when the site was first built nearly 50 years ago it was "run properly" and was "like a garden centre", reports KentOnline.
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But life today is far different from the positive experience the 62-year-old encountered when she first set foot on the site.
Backed-up sewers omit foul smells from residents' plugholes, every few steps there are piles of litter and the street is plagued with rats daily.
To make matters worse, each time it rains the ground floods as a result of blocked drains which have allegedly been filled with cement.
Priscilla’s husband, George suffers from lung condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which has left him susceptible to falls.
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She struggles with her own health including issues with the veins in her legs which she is hoping to undergo surgery for soon.
On the state of the site, Priscilla told KentOnline: “I’m frightened of him tripping and falling when walking down here.
“People come here and look at the mess, the way we’re living - they think we’re dirty people but we’re not because it’s not us.
“I’ve given up, it’s distressing - we can’t live like this."
With increasing health concerns, Priscilla is worried she may not be able to use the bath in her shed for much longer and will need to rely on a shower to keep clean.
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The couple have also asked the council about having their fallen fences fixed and for the bulbs in the streetlights to be replaced for years.
Another resident, who does not wish to be named, lives opposite her daughter and has been based in Denton for over 30 years.
She said: “It’s a s*******, I feel ashamed when people come here.
“This is the worst it has ever been - you’re better off in a prison.”
In parts of the site, there are fallen fences and electrical wires strewn across the floors and dangling from walls.
Scrap vehicles have been abandoned at the roadside along with fly-tipped items.
She continued: “We’re in a land time forgot.
“If you want something done you’ve got to do it yourself."
The council says it has tried to help the "challenging site" and that it has been a "hostile environment to enter for our own staff", making repairs difficult.
But people living on the site continue to struggle as agencies try to find a resolution.
'ZERO MAINTENANCE'
Husband and wife Betsy and Charlie, and one of their five daughters, Betsy Jr, saw their shed burn down 14 months ago and they have been left without a place to bathe since.
Anyone who enters the roofless hut is at risk when rainwater seeps in and over the electrical wires dangling off the wall.
Betsy, 59, has been living at the site for 40 years and claimed that the site used to have 24 plots but now only has a third of that.
Denton's problems have also seen mental health issues rocket among its residents living in it.
Betsy Jr says everyone has had someone they know, whether family or friends, who they have lost to suicide.
She said: "There is zero maintenance - there’s no one, private contractors won’t come because it's council land.”
As well as the state of the site, residents have also complained about a lack of services.
Many do not have bins or lids for them, and as a result, foxes shred the rubbish bags across the land.
They say refuse collectors do not come down to collect their waste regularly either.
And, they receive no post as Royal Mail workmen do not enter the land to deliver items and letters addressed to residents.
All of the residents claim they have raised the issues with Gravesham council countless times, but have been left without any resolutions.
For many Gypsies and Travellers, moving out into homes offered by the council is not really an option as these sites are a way of holding onto their culture and way of life.
This is the worst it has ever been - you’re better off in a prison."
Denton resident
A spokesman for Gravesham Borough Council said: “The Denton site is a challenging one to manage and maintain.
“It has a history of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage, which directly impacts the lives of those living there.
“It can be a hostile environment to enter for our own staff and outside contractors, making routine maintenance difficult and unnecessarily delaying emergency repairs when they are needed.
“Indeed, a number of agencies will not attend the site unless accompanied by the police due to previous instances of facing threats of violence and intimidation, which is the sole reason some of the issues raised by tenants remain outstanding.
“Ourselves and partner agencies have a duty of care to our own employees, and we will not send them into situations where we believe they may be at risk. We continue to work with the tenants to find ways we can carry out necessary work on-site.
“The actions connected to the site have repercussions beyond its boundaries and affect the lives and wellbeing of the neighbouring communities, an example being the lack of bus services to the area as operators are unwilling to put their drivers and vehicles at risk.
“Despite all of this, we take our responsibilities as a landlord seriously and are working together with partner agencies, including those concerned with the health and welfare of those on site, to find long-term solutions for the issues we face at Denton.
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“However, there can be no shying away from the fact that the tenants have their own roles to play in improving living conditions there.”
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “The safety of our staff is of the utmost importance to Royal Mail and the suspension of deliveries is always a last resort.”
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