3,000 gypsies coming to Birmingham for Pope's visit

COUNCIL chiefs say they expect 3,000 travellers to come to Birmingham during the next few weeks for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit.
gypsies

They are frantically drawing up plans for huge temporary camps to house gypsy pilgrims’ caravans on disused industrial land where they can erect toilet and water facilities.

And they say they have selected a number of potential sites for the travellers to use for free for up to four weeks. They said the aim was to keep the gypsies off playing fields and parkland.

But they admitted it would be the taxpayer who would pick up the bill to fund the works.

City parks chief Coun Martin Mullaney said: “If we charge them the unfortunately they will be back on the parks, which is something we want to avoid.

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