A CHRISTIAN minister has slammed Wychavon District Council for spending large amounts of taxpayers' money on prosecuting gipsy families.

Rev Robert Maclean, who works among the Romany community, hit out after the council spent more than £3,000 to prosecute gipsies who failed to remove all caravans and mobile homes from land at Twin Oaks, Cleeve Prior.

Samantha Smith, Alfred Smith, Peter Greenwood and Julie Ann Smith, who have caravans on plots at Twin Oaks, were each fined £250 with £100 costs by Evesham magistrates last Friday.

Mr Maclean said: "What concerns me is that they seem to be wasting so much money on prosecuting one family. The council has an obligation to help gipsies and they don't seem to be meeting their obligation in this case.

"Samantha and her family have been converted to the Christian faith and are doing their best to live a reformed life following Christian principles without renouncing their gipsy culture."

He added: "It seems to me that it comes down to prejudice."

Tim Belcher, principal solicitor of Wychavon's legal department, said the total costs had amounted to £3,265, of which £1,450 was the barrister's costs, and the rest covered the expenses of council officers.

He said that earlier this year, the High Court had directed Evesham magistrates to convict the family after they were acquitted at an earlier hearing.

He added: "They shouldn't be on the land and that's the view of two independent planning inspectors. It is not a matter of Wychavon discriminating against them."

He also said the gipsies had refused help from the council, in the form of putting their names on a waiting list for a public site, and also declined assistance with housing.

"If they don't approach the council for help, then the council cannot help them," he added.