Travellers

Last week, several examples of the particular hominid subspecies generally grouped together under the genus ‘Travellers’ invaded one of our car parks. You know the sort of thing, Caravans, unlicensed white vans, low-level criminal activity (Petty vandalism, theft, behaviour likely to poorly re tarmac your drive etc.). Our orders were “Hands off until the warrants are issued.” Fine by me, because if you do book one of their vehicles you can’t get a parking ticket to stick because there’s no address to send it to; so it’s not really worth the trouble. Although just threatening to issue can produce interesting behaviour, for a perverse value of ‘interesting’.

Up until last year I never used to have an opinion about travellers. Before I became a Parking Enforcement Officer I never gave them a second thought. Now they are just another bit of grit in life’s ointment.

There is a school of thought that claims travelling like this is a ‘free’ lifestyle, but who wants ‘freedom’ stuck at the bottom of the pile, despised and moved on everywhere you go? Furthermore, having spent some truly miserable rain drenched caravanning holidays in Wales, I find myself baffled as to why anyone would wish to spend their entire lives in what appears to me little better than a plastic toilet on wheels.

Oh well, at least it gives the local Chavs someone to look down upon.