PEOPLE now have until the end of the month to have their say on plans to develop a temporary travellers’ site in a bid to end unauthorised camps across the borough.

Dudley Council launched a consultation in December, encouraging people to comment on the plans which were developed in response to the increasing number of traveller incursions which have taken place on public open spaces.

The consultation deadline has now been extended until January 31 to give people extra time to comment on the issue, which has cost taxpayers around £150,000 in clean up and legal costs per year since 2015.

Council bosses want to set up a three-year temporary transit site, for which travellers would pay rent to cover costs of power, water and waste disposal.

The dedicated short stay site would also enable the authority and police to act quickly to evict travellers from unauthorised sites.

Ten potential sites have been identified and scored according to criteria, with a disused council-owned site on Budden Road, Coseley, coming out on top.

Land in Webb Street and Fountain Lane, Coseley, are also on the list - along with land in Bott Lane and Clinic Drive and the former Helix factory site, all in Lye. Sites in Thorns Road, Quarry Bank; Blowers Green Road in Dudley; Delph Road, Withymoor; and The Straits in Gornal have also been identified.

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of the council, said: “This is a really important issue and we want to make sure all residents have every opportunity to have their say.

“In recent years we have seen a rise in the number of unauthorised camps. These are expensive and cost Dudley taxpayers thousands of pounds in clean up and legal costs.

“We want to put a stop to this. Creating a temporary travellers’ site will give us greater control of our land and cut the time we spend going through the legal process to move travellers that have camped up illegally."

He added: “Evidence from other local authorities indicates that transit sites are used very infrequently and the most significant effect it has is preventing travellers establishing encampments in the area in the first place.

“While I understand the identification of a preferred site may cause concern among residents, I firmly believe that having a transit site in the borough will benefit us all.”

To take part in the consultation, click here.