▁involving ▁non - R oman i ▁applic ants ▁each ▁year , ▁and ▁that ▁statistics ▁showed ▁that ▁ 9 0 % ▁of ▁planning ▁applications ▁by ▁Roman is ▁and ▁trav ellers ▁were ▁initially ▁refused ▁by ▁local ▁coun c ils ▁compared ▁with ▁a ▁national ▁average ▁of ▁ 2 0 % ▁for ▁other ▁applic ants , ▁dis pro ving ▁claims ▁of ▁prefer ential ▁treatment ▁favour ing ▁Roman is . ▁Tra v ellers ▁argued ▁that ▁the ▁root ▁of ▁the ▁problem ▁was ▁that ▁many ▁traditional ▁stopping ▁places ▁had ▁been ▁bar ric aded ▁off ▁and ▁that ▁legisl ation ▁passed ▁by ▁the ▁previous ▁Conserv ative ▁government ▁had ▁effectively ▁criminal ised ▁their ▁community . ▁For ▁example , ▁removing ▁local ▁authorities ' ▁responsibility ▁to ▁provide ▁sites ▁leaves ▁the ▁trav ellers ▁with ▁no ▁option ▁but ▁to ▁purchase ▁un register ed ▁new ▁sites ▁themselves . ▁ ▁In ▁August ▁ 2 0 1 2 , ▁Slov ak ian ▁television ▁network ▁TV ▁J O J ▁ran ▁a ▁report ▁about ▁cases ▁of ▁Roman i ▁imm igr ant ▁families ▁with ▁Slov ak ian ▁or ▁Czech ▁citizens hip , ▁whose ▁children ▁were ▁for ci b ly ▁taken ▁away ▁by ▁the ▁British ▁authorities . ▁It ▁has ▁spark ed ▁Roman i ▁protest s ▁in ▁towns ▁such ▁as ▁Not ting ham . ▁The ▁authorities ▁refused ▁to ▁explain ▁the ▁reasons ▁for ▁their ▁actions ▁to ▁the ▁Slov ak ▁rep or ters . ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁moth ers ▁alleg ed ▁that ▁she ▁was ▁allowed ▁visit ation ▁with ▁her ▁new born ▁baby ▁only ▁in ▁an ▁empty ▁room ; ▁as ▁there ▁was ▁no ▁furn iture , ▁she ▁was