East Midlands

That’s the question Steve and Claris Evon have wondered since being born gypsies.

Like thousands who came before them, their ancestors migrated here from Europe, fleeing persecution.

They live a comfortable life now on a well managed legal gypsy site near Leicester.

Pressures

Thousands of gypsies still migrate here from Europe.

The children play amongst rubbish and pollution

And Steve regularly makes the journey in reverse to try to understand the pressures his people are under.

He travelled with Inside Out to the Romanian town of Arad, which is on the border with Hungary.

There are thousands of gypsies in the town and when we talked to people there we heard a lot of hatred with gypsies being accused of being "the worst people in the world".

Steve is upset when he sees young gypsy girls on a rubbish site:

"You’ve got children from seven to eight-years-old up to maybe 12-years-old, playing and sorting out rubbish.

"Obviously I wouldn’t want my children doing that.

"We don't fit the system"

"Not only in this country but we don’t fit the system in England. It’s not just the Rom that doesn’t fit the system. If you’re in a trailer, in a van, you don’t fit the system."

Shortage of sites

In July 2008, 1248 gypsy caravans pitched up in the East Midlands.

There was only enough space on legal sites for 995. That left 253 with no choice but to pitch illegally.

It’s something Councillor Mary Draycott, former Lord Mayor of Leicester, knows all about.

In 1994 she tried to get a permanent gypsy site built at Castle Hill Park in Leicester.

Plans for a gypsy site prompted protests

She received death threats, menacing phone calls and paint was daubed on her house.

The plans were shelved.

Now there’s a shortage in the City of permanent gypsy sites.