A FAMILY of gipsies who have set up camp in Swindon are asking people to stop treating them “like pigs”.

The Price family say since they arrived at the Moredon Bridge site they have faced a torrent of abuse from passing motorists, including the most common put-down – ‘gipsies out’.

Colleen Price, 22, from South Wales, said she does not understand how people can be so cruel as to treat human beings like ‘pigs’.

She said: “Since we parked up on Wednesday of last week we have heard non-stop abuse yelled at us from what we can only assume are residents.

“Who are these people to treat us like pigs and not human beings?

“We are a family not unlike most of the other families in Swindon, the only difference is that we live in caravans and not homes.

“We are loving people that don’t cause anyone any harm.

“Gipsies do get a bad name but there are people that live in homes that will steal from Asda, while we live by the philosophy, if we are a penny short we will come back tomorrow rather than take it without paying.

“We want to ask people to give us more respect, stop harassing us stop calling us names, after all respect breeds respect.”

She claimed that they were on the land legally as they had asked the landowner’s permission.

Colleen, who said that Swindon Police had already been out to see them, said she expects that they will be moved along within a few days.

The Moulden View site could see 200 homes – including 140 private, 48 social and 12 affordable homes – built by 2013 after planning permission was granted on appeal.

Builders are expected to move onto the site soon.

The development is seen by many as a precursor to plans to build 800 more homes nearby, north of Purton Road.

Yesterday Coun Nick Martin (Con, Shaw & Nine Elms) said Moulden View was a ‘ridiculous’ place to build homes.

He said: “That site is always full of water in the winter, so it’s not the best idea to put 200 homes there.

“There is to be no further infrastructure, leaving a dangerous turnout for residents, in fact there was a car accident there only a few weeks ago. And on top of it all that site is a route for deer to make their way into Shaw Community Forest.

“That means when the building starts we won’t be seeing anymore deer in the forest.”

He claimed that developers were trying to push through plans before the new Government scraps Labour’s regional spatial strategy (RSS).

The RSS called for 37,000 homes to be built in Swindon over the next two decades.

Michael Dewhurst, estate agent for the Moulden View development, was unavailable for comment.

Plans to improve services and facilities for gipsies and travellers are to be discussed at tonight’s Wiltshire Council meeting in Trowbridge.