Nottinghamshire County Council is planning to install bollards at a roundabout in Rushcliffe to prevent unauthorised encampments which have cost more than £10,000 to clean up.
Newton roundabout, at the junction of the A46 and A6097, has been used regularly by caravans since around 2018, prompting complaints from local residents and councillors.
Rushcliffe Borough Council has spent more than £10,000 clearing waste and rubbish left behind following encampments at the site.
The most expensive clean-up this year cost more than £3,000 in April, with council officers describing the condition of the site as “particularly bad”.
Other clearances have typically cost around £600 each, with the borough council dealing with approximately two encampments a year.
Nottinghamshire County Council has now confirmed that designs for a permanent solution have been completed, with bollards to be installed once the site has been cleared.
Legal proceedings are also under way to remove those occupying the land.
Councillor Bert Bingham, Nottinghamshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said: “The Travellers have been an ongoing problem for many years, and court action is now under way to evict these groups.
“Work to design a permanent solution to protect the area from illegal camping has been under way in recent months and is now complete. Once the site is cleared, then bollards can be installed to avoid any repeat.”
Rushcliffe Borough Councillor Debbie Soloman, who represents Newton, said the repeated encampments had caused longstanding problems for people living in and travelling through the area.
She said nearby footpaths had frequently been obstructed by dumped waste, while concerns had also been raised about sanitation.
“The footpath opposite the roundabout gets filled up with lots of garden cuttings and dumping,” she said. “I’ve had runners and walkers reporting to me that they couldn’t get through because it was blocked.
“But the real issue is it was being used as an outdoor toilet so it was full of human excrement and tissue all along there. It was a real health hazard.”
The county council is expected to install the bollards once the site is fully vacated, with the aim of preventing vehicles from accessing the grassed area in future.
Rushcliffe Borough Council has also confirmed that its Streetwise team has completed another clean-up following the departure of an encampment over the weekend.
A spokesperson said: “Our Streetwise team continue to support efforts to keep our communities clean and tidy wherever possible and work with partners, such as in the case, with the County Council.
“The team have already finished the clean up at this location today after an encampment left over the weekend. A previous clean-up in the location in June totalled £3,000.”
By Joseph Connolly, Local Democracy Reporter