THE leader of Dudley Council is taking a tough stance on illegal traveller camps, announcing they will 'no longer be tolerated' in the borough.

Councillor Patrick Harley made the bold statement a number of recent illegal traveller incursions in Dudley, including a field next to Milking Bank Primary School, Grange Park and Woodside Park.

He has vowed to work closer with police and use eviction powers wherever legally possible to tackle illegal encampments on public open spaces.

The council and police use statutory powers to move travellers on through the courts, which can take several days.

But the council also has powers under common law which allows them to bring in bailiffs to evict travellers if they set up camp on high risk council-owned land, such as next to schools.

Councillor Harley said the council will be using common law powers wherever it can to speed up the process.

He said: "Let me be clear, we will not tolerate people who illegally set up camp on public land, causing untold damage which then leaves the tax-payer with a huge bill for cleaning up and repairing the damage.

“Incidents like these leave the tax-payer out of pocket because we have to spend time and money cleaning up after them. We are doing everything we can to minimise this added financial burden on the people of this borough.

"I am meeting regularly with the police to ensure our working relationship is robust and clear and we will do everything we can to move travellers on as quickly as possible.”

Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabinet member for environmental services, added: “The legal system can often be drawn out and frustrating for the council and residents living near to these sites.

"While we will always abide by the law, we must do all we can to protect people, the land and the public purse and that means using common law powers wherever possible.

“We have cleaned up the site in Milking Bank and we are working on Grange Park after the travellers were moved on to ensure it is ready for a community event this weekend.

"Waste included trees and shrubs as well as beds and other furniture, paint, timber, plaster, old roofing, bathroom furniture and excrement which requires the services of a hazardous waste contractor. It has cost the council more than £14,000 to clear the two sites.

“The travellers moved to Woodside and we also have travellers on Overfield Road.

"This is becoming a cat and mouse game and the travellers are well aware that they are not welcome in Dudley borough. Everything we can do to be proactive is being done."

Dudley North MP Ian Austin has also spoke about the issue in Parliament and demanded a full review of the laws covering illegal traveller camps.

“For the third time in a fortnight, my constituents are having to put up with the noise, nuisance, litter and mess caused by illegal traveller camps on parks and public open spaces," he said.

"That is completely unacceptable, but when I talk to the council and the police about the situation, they tell me that they need more powers to deal with it.

"May we have an urgent debate in Government time so that we can get to the bottom of the issue? We need to provide local authorities with the powers that they need to deal with this problem once and for all so that my constituents and their children can start to use parks and play areas once again.”

The process Dudley Council follows for moving travellers on from illegal encampments using statutory powers:

  • When travellers move on to land the council visits them within 24 hours to advise them they need to leave
  • At the same time the council starts preparing legal papers to apply for possession orders at the Court in Dudley. The preparation of papers generally takes around 48 hours. Once they are registered at court they are served on the travellers and a date is set  for a court hearing which must be at least two clear days after they are served (excluding weekends and bank holidays)
  • If the court order is granted at the hearing, it is served to the travellers the same day, requiring them to move off the site immediately
  • If the travellers fail to move off the site, the council is legally obliged to apply for a possession warrant to the court. The court usually issues this within a few days but then has to set a date for the travellers to move off the land or be forced off, using reasonable force if necessary. The time period for this can vary depending on the availability of bailiffs. If an encampment is large, the council may have to involve private bailiffs.