It is hard when travellers turn up and plonk themselves and their property on your private land. This happens frequently to landlords in the form of squatters and landowners, like farmers, when the traveller community decides to park up in their fields. Some councils are also finding this is becoming a problem.
In the last few months Bournemouth Council have taken steps to remove travellers from at least two sites already this year. In the first case the travellers moved on from one site into a town centre car park. The council used security officials to move on and monitor the group at an agreed site. This is an obvious disruption to the normal use of the land and caused inconvenience to the general public who normally parked there.
The second story is of a group who set up camp in Upton Park. Users of the park were reported as saying “I think families with young children might be put off coming.” Bournemouth council has started eviction proceedings through the court system.
So what happens when you need to evict travellers from your property? It’s not a crime and the council can’t help you because it is considered a civil matter. You can start by employing the services of a Certificated Enforcement Agent. They will know the quickest and easiest way to return your land to you.
They will start by serving a Notice to Vacate. This notice will say that if they do not move on within an agreed timescale then the travellers will be evicted using reasonable force. Unlike the council, the Certificated Enforcement Agent will use Common Law to enforce the move. This avoids the need for a court case. The risk of over stepping the mark for the inexperienced novice can easily happen because the landowner or their agent must not cause undue harm to the persons being evicted or their property. Whether you are using a Certificated Enforcement Agent or carrying out the eviction yourself, it is a good idea to ensure that the police are aware that an eviction is taking place.
At Alpha 1 Legal Services we are very experienced in carrying out traveller evictions with a minimum of fuss.
