Police and Cadw, the heritage arm of the Welsh Government, are investigating allegations that a group of travellers destroyed part of Offa's Dyke. Above, the section that was dug away
Posted on 08/16/2013 4:48:46 AM PDT by DeaconBenjamin
For more than 1,200 years, nothing had disturbed it.
But in just a few hours, a stretch of Offa’s Dyke – one of the most important ancient monuments in Britain – was flattened.
Police and Cadw, the heritage arm of the Welsh Government, are investigating allegations that a group of travellers destroyed part of Offa's Dyke. Above, the section that was dug away
It is believed King Offa of Mercia built it between 757 and 796 to mark the division between Mercia and Wales and protect his land from invasion
The 8th century monument, a linear earthwork which consists of a wide ditch and rampart, runs for 82 miles along the border between England and Wales.
It is a criminal offence to disrupt or damage the dyke, which is designated a ‘scheduled ancient monument’ because of its historical significance. Anyone caught doing so can be punished with six months in jail or a £5,000 fine.
At least 50 yards of the dyke was allegedly flattened last Sunday.
Residents reported seeing men with a large digger clearing scrub and weeds along the dyke.
Over several hours, they flattened the embankment and filled in the ditch to level it.
Jim Saunders of the Offa’s Dyke Association said: ‘We had a report that quite a well-preserved part of the dyke had been damaged by the new landowner.
'There has been some suggestion that the new landowners are travellers, but we’ve been unable to contact them.’
The owner of the field, who claims to have bought the site last month, said he had 'no idea' the area was of historic importance.
The man, who gave his name only as ‘Danny’, claimed: ‘I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never heard of Offa’s Dyke.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Travellers = Gypsies.
knackers
For the uninformed, the word “travellers” translates to “gypsies” in American English in older usage and is sometimes used with the modifier “Irish” in newer usage. Those words indicate two different national extractions (Ireland and Eastern Europe) but they have similar ways of acting without regard to established law, preferring the law of the clan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Travellers
-—— Offa’s Dyke-——
Who is Offa? was the dyke hurt?
Was she kin to Big Sis?
We have plenty in the South.
Favorite scam is the driveway repair, done with old motor oil.
“ Oh don’t worry, the “tar” will dry in a day or so”...
Irish Travellers
Gypsies are Roma
Also known as “pikies,” I believe. Transient grifters, a scourge whever they alight.
not on the British isles.
kind of hard to get a caravan across that big body of water.
(BTW, my wife is a Lakatos Gyor Magyar, so I kind of take offense since all of Europe is blaming every f’in thing on her peoples, and well all Easter Europeans and Reagan at this point, oh, and the Jooz, lets not forget about them as well).
They’re flattening dykes with bulldozers? Next they’ll be banning the rainbow flags..
These “travelers” travel with a bulldozer do they? Seems kind of strange.
If the person who bulldozed this ‘historic dyke’ owns the property, and if no easements/rights of way to protect the ‘dyke’ were in place when he purchased the property, then he was well within his rights to do whatever he wanted to on his land - the fact that he might be a traveller’ doesn’t enter in to it.
English history was my major....I think this is tragic. I hope they do arrest and fine whomever did this.
Except for that pesky little law against it.
Dykes are protected by law. If you buy the property, you know that.
Rachel Corrie was a clamlicker?
It is a criminal offense to disrupt or damage the dyke, which is designated a ‘scheduled ancient monument’ because of its historical significance. Anyone caught doing so can be punished with six months in jail or a £5,000 fine.
Offa?
You know, Jimmy Offa, the dead mob boss guy.
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