Hidden crisis of fires ripping through Gypsy and Traveller sites is ‘a fatal tragedy waiting to happen’

Fire outbreaks are becoming increasingly common in Gypsy and Traveller sites across the UK with at least seven reported in the last year alone – and it’s leaving residents displaced in hotels for months on end. 

On 12 July, a fire destroyed the homes of more than 20 families in Ver Meadows in Hertfordshire. Nearly three months later, five families still remain in hotels – with no idea where they will be housed. 

One former resident of Ver Meadows, who wishes not to be named, said: “Now they’ve stuck us in hotels. Families in one room, nowhere to cook, nowhere for the kids to play. 

“We’re broken. The kids are having nightmares. I still hear the explosions at night in my head.”

Gypsy and Traveller charity Drive2Survive call it a “national scandal” and say that loss of life from these fires is “only a matter of time”.

In the last year, there have been fires at Traveller sites at Piddlehinton in Dorset, Sadlers Farm in Essex, Spooner Row in Norfolk, Magpie Farm in Bedfordshire, Fen Road in Cambridge, Denton Caravan Park in Gravesend and Ver Meadows in Hertfordshire. There are different causes reported for each fire – ranging from suspected arson attacks to electrical accidents.

In June, Irish Travellers living on London’s largest authorised caravan site, Lynton Close in Brent, were asked to move into temporary accommodation due to overcrowding. 

Brent Council said the fire safety concerns were an “intolerable risk to life”. The council offered temporary “safe, affordable, bricks and mortar” housing to the residents.

The council “recognise that bricks and mortar is not their chosen lifestyle” but at the moment Lynton Close is “unsafe” and “no responsible landlord wants to see their tenants living in those conditions”. 

Sherrie Smith is a settled Romany Gypsy, CEO of Gypsy and Travellers Essex and the founder of Drive2Survive charity. She says Hertfordshire is in desperate need of more Gypsy and Traveller sites.  

“Irish Travellers and Romany Gypsies have large families,” she explained to Big Issue. “When their children get older, typically they want to stay living in a caravan. There is such a long waiting list as there are not enough sites. So, in the end their children move into caravans which are allowed to be on the family plot. This overcrowds it massively,” said Smith. 

“It doesn’t work for local authorities and MPs to support new sites for Gypsies and Travellers because of the negative stereotypes associated with them. It won’t be popular. People don’t want a site near them.”  

Hertfordshire County Council did not confirm any current plans for new Gypsy and Traveller sites in Hertfordshire, when asked by Big Issue.

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The council are “currently considering” relocation of an existing Gypsy and Traveller site, Halfhide Lane, as a part of a redevelopment project, as well as the rebuild of Ver Meadows. 

In total, 90% of the Ver Meadows site was destroyed by fire in July. The majority of the residents were out at a Holy Communion at the time. The fire hit 15 out of 18 plots and several dogs died in the blaze. 

Investigations into the site highlighted several fire safety issues. 

There is meant to be six metres of space between caravans. After the fire, a BBC investigation found that some dwellings were separated by no more than 80cm.

Hertfordshire County Council told Big Issue: “From a management perspective, if residents get chalets and caravans delivered without our knowledge it is hard to get them moved if they are not where they are meant to be. 

“If we are aware of any breaches, including caravans being less than six meters, we raise these with the tenants and will escalate appropriately using the correct legal channels.”

The Burgoynes report into the fire noted that “there were difficulties getting appliances on to the site owing to the number of vehicles exiting via the only access road”. 

Smith said adequate provisions were not in place in Ver Meadows for emergency services to tackle the blaze.

“In holiday home caravan parks, you need to have a separate entrance and exit lane for safety,” explained Smith. “I have visited every site in Hertfordshire. All of the sites in Hertfordshire only have one road – that serves as the entrance and exit. That means in the event of a fire, it becomes harder for emergency services to access the sites.

“When the fire brigade reached Ver Meadows, there were only two caravans on fire. By the time they put the fire out – 11 plots were burned to the ground.”

A statement sent on behalf of the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service via the county council said the delay was caused by “a combination of vehicles trying to leave the site, and vehicles parked on the access road which narrowed it to one lane”.

After a fire, the district council will move residents into hotels until new plots become available. 

In August, Gypsy and Traveller charity Drive2Survive organised a protest for Ver Meadows residents outside Hertfordshire County Council. 

Claire Rice, who is also a Romany Gypsy and project co-ordinator of the Gypsy and Travellers Essex charity, spoke at the rally: “The residents should have been given a liaison officer after the fire. One person they could talk to in the council. They were not given that. If this was any other form of social housing, people would not be treated like this. Gypsies and Travellers don’t have any rights.”

Hertfordshire County Council said that residents can “communicate with the council via [their] Gypsy and Traveller team”. 

Research by ‘The Traveller Movement’ highlights that Romany and Irish Travellers have the lowest academic attainment of all ethnic groups, and says that the illiteracy rate is up to 62%. Smith says this augments the need for “adequate support in times of crisis”. 

Another Ver Meadows resident, who also wishes not to be named, said they have been left in limbo after the fire: “The weather is turning. We’re trying to buy warmer clothes for our children – coats, boots, trainers, tracksuits – all of that went up in smoke. 

“Replacing the basics is hard enough, but we are also trying to work out where we’ll be living. It’s frightening not knowing how we’re meant to rebuild our lives as winter draws closer.”

Most of the residents of Ver Meadows have moved into caravans on private land or family plots. These sites are often already at full capacity. 

Rice says that frequent fires exacerbate the issue of overcrowding: “Those people who are doubled up on pitches are effectively homeless. They are effectively squatting. The families that are hosting them are also breaking their licences. That puts the family under the threat of eviction. 

“This isn’t unique, it isn’t just Hertfordshire… I have been to sites all over the country. Every fire just perpetuates the problem because it creates more overcrowding somewhere else. 

“The bottom line is councils need to build more sites for Travellers.”

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government did not provide a comment when contacted by Big Issue.

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