Finding travellers on your land can be a disturbing event, and the first thing to do is to inform the local Police about them. Unauthorised traveller encampments on private property are treated differently than those on public land, so you may not find the local council as helpful as you might expect when it comes to having the travellers removed from your property, along with which in most cases the police will say it is a civil matter, and unless serious anti-social behaviour occurs then it is highly unlikely that Section 61 will be used.
To report an authorised encampment, you will need to complete an online form available on the website of the local council or call the police on 101. Most councils only deal with unauthorised encampments on land they own – that generally includes public car parks, roads, and parks.
How do I get rid of travellers on private land?
To legal remove travellers camped on your private land, you generally need to employ the services of an enforcement agency, that will be able to remove them on your behalf. Because police are generally unable to help in most cases related to private property, you will need to use Common law to have the travellers evicted.
When the travellers are camped on private land, our advice is not to approach them as they may become verbally abusive and you could be in danger. Instead call an enforcement agency and they will be able to assist. It is possible they have had contact with the group previously and so can move them on easily.
How do I reclaim possession of my land?
In most cases the Common Law method is very effective. However, on a rare occasion it maybe more advantageous to go down the court route. This procedure involves issuing and serving a court summons and seeking a possession order in court. To ensure the process is completely quickly and make sure the letter of the law is strictly followed, you will want to employ the services of an enforcement agency such as Able Enforcements
You can find more information and tips about Traveller removal by clicking on the 'Removing travellers: The complete guide'.
For more information on how we can help get in touch with our team by calling 0345 366 0000 or fill out our contact form and we’ll get back to you.
