Furious resident who have had gipsies parked opposite their homes for two weeks are demanding answers from Bradford Council.

Members of the Bell Dean Residents' and Tenants' Association are putting in a formal complaint against the Council's gipsy liaison office and demanding to know exactly how much it costs to move the gipsies with legal action and to clear up after them.

Association spokesman Mike Gilsenan said residents were "absolutely sick and tired" of the illegal encampment on the Council-owned Green at the junction of Bell Dean Road and Thornton Road in Lower Grange.

"It happens here two or three times every summer and everyone is sick of it," he said.

"It has taken the gipsy liaison office two weeks to get a court order to move them on and in that time they have churned up the land and people have had to put up with men urinating outside their caravans, the constant noise of generators, loud music, people using areas as a toilet, and the rubbish.

"They have been selling furniture and carpets from the site and there are unwanted pieces around as well as household rubbish and human excrement."

The association members have signed a petition called for the immediate restoration of the land to its former condition and the erection of a knee-high perimeter fence.

"The gipsy liaison office has an unsympathetic attitude to residents," said Mr Gilsenan. "They give the impression the gipsies have all the rights and residents have none. They should get a court order through in 24 hours - not two weeks.

"But the Council has this tolerance attitude and the gipsies know it is a soft touch and they will have some time before they are moved on.

"We are also asking for a public consultation process and inquiry into the cost to Bradford Council and on its policy on gipsy encampment because we think the Council has got it wrong.

"Because of its tolerance policy it is causing environmental damage and pollution and it is costing ratepayers a lot of money."

Housing and environmental protection committee chairman Councillor Jim O'Neill said he would hold an investigation into the time it took to evict the gipsies and the costs to the ratepayers.

"At the moment I would admit that it's a particular problem in Bradford. I will look into the allegation that we are a soft touch- and make sure we are not."

A council spokesman said the site would be cleaned up in the next few days and would be surrounded by a small mound to stop the gipsies returning.

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