I'm going to be on the streets with my six children - we've got to fight for this place because it's our home

Bolton Council began the process to close down Crompton Lodge on Tuesday in response to "escalating violence and criminality". But travellers facing eviction say they are "fighting for their babies' home".

Kathleen Moloney moved into Crompton Lodge in 2004 and fears she’ll be “left on the streets” - along with her six children, aged 21, 17, 12, 11, eight, six, and elderly uncle. 'Irish traveller' Kathleen says seven families - approximately 40 people - face losing their homes at the site. She says some have lived there for two decades.

The full-time mum said: “I’ve been at that site for 20 years - my four babies were born there, and now they want to shut the place down. It’s about our human rights - we’re just being cut off. We’re going to have to live on the streets.

"We've got to fight for this place because it's our home - all our babies are here. It's not just about plots and static homes - it's about the women and kids having to leave their homes. My eldest has a heart condition - having to deal with all of this is the last thing I need."

Bolton Council submitted an application to close the site down after years of residents “causing nuisance", it claims. The last six months have seen an uptick in violence - culminating in an attack on a police liaison officer, the council claims.

It also claims toilet blocks have also been used to store stolen items, drugs and firearms. But Kathleen says innocent members of the traveller community shouldn’t be made to suffer.

“They’re saying there’s been crime on the site,” she added. “It feels like they’re saying there’s crime in our community. But it can’t be true - if there were guns on our home address, why wasn’t it closed down years ago. Why weren’t social services taking our kids?”

The council has applied for a closure order at Manchester Magistrates' Court, and work to remove anyone onsite without a tenancy began on Tuesday. Tenants of Crompton Lodge say they were served with letters, saying the council is satisfied the site is causing nuisance to members of the public, as well as nearby residents, the wider Bolton area and the traveller community. And the council says those with tenancy agreements will be provided with full support and guidance throughout the closure process.

Kathleen says eviction notices were placed on caravans around the site on Tuesday. This led to a handful of residents demonstrating against the closure. It is understood that residents have been offered alternative accommodation.

A Bolton Council spokesperson said: “As a council, we fully recognise our statutory duty to make provisions for the traveller community. However, we have now reached a point where it is no longer possible to safely maintain and run this site, despite a number of joint interventions over many years.

“Due to repeated hostility, council employees and contractors are unable to visit without a police escort, and this is no longer sustainable. We are now seeking a closure order for Crompton Lodge, including for those that are legally tenanted to live there, so we can regain control of the site and make it safe and secure for the local community.”