We are only able to evict Gypsies/Travellers off Council owned land. If the Gypsies/Travellers are causing problems they will be moved on as soon as is possible and reasonable. It normally takes approximately three weeks to gather the relevant information and obtain a court hearing date. The Court can refuse to grant us an order to move the Gypsies/Travellers on if it believes there is an unavoidable reason for the Gypsies/Travellers to stay on the site or if the Court believes that we have failed to make adequate enquiries regarding the general health and welfare of the Gypsies/Travellers. Please report any illegal encampments to us immediately via our Self Service portal so we can investigate the matter.

Dealing with illegal encampments on other land

If the encampment is on land not owned by us, then the landowner, if possible, should talk to the travellers to try and gauge how long they will be there. The landowner can also take proceedings in the County Court under the Civil Procedure Rules 1998 to obtain a Court Order for their eviction. There must be a minimum of two clear days between service of documents and the Court hearing.

Any decision by the landowner to allow the travellers to stay on site must be undertaken with the correct planning permissions and licensing. Any breach of these permissions will result in us taking action against the landowner.