RESIDENTS of a gipsy site near Powick told a public hearing something about their lives and their work this week.

The planning appeal hearing was launched by Mr Edward Smith and Mr E Smith after Malvern Hills District Council refused to grant planning permission for their site at Bastonford. They are also appealing against a council eviction notice to leave the site.

During the hearing on Tuesday, planning inspector Victor Ammoun questioned the gipsies about how they live and worked.

Mr Edward Smith, known as Steve, described how family members travelled around the country looking for work.

He said: “When we travel around, we don’t always take our caravans, sometimes we stay in B & Bs. It depends how expensive it is in the area.”

He said that in recent months, he had been working in Peterborough, Shropshire, Newport in Wales, and Devon. He and family members work side-by-side doing tree work, paving, doing driveways and buying and selling scrap metal.

Answering another question from Mr Ammoun, Mr Smith said that he and relatives sometimes went to traditional horse fairs, but more to meet people than to make money.

The hearing also discussed the scale of the site’s impact on the existing village.

It was told that there are 10 adults and 11 children living in the five caravans.

Paul Fong, a planning consultant employed by a group of residents, said: “There are 47 residents in Bastonford in 27 properties. The number of residents on the site is out of proportion to the population of this rural hamlet.”

But resident Hilary Maxwell said: “The Smith family are very open and congenial, but many travellers have had difficulty making friends with settled residents because of the hostility they encounter. Generations of poor relations between travellers and settled communities means they keep their heads down.”

An earlier hearing, two weeks previously, discussed issues such as highways safety, sustainability and the site’s effect on the landscape.

Mr Ammoun will now make his decision on the appeal, which will be published in due course. This is likely to be in several weeks’ time.