It has been announced today that an illegal traveller encampment in Kempston has finally been given its marching orders.
Bedfordshire County Council issued an enforcement notice today, under Section 77 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, giving the travellers 24 hours to move on following a 6-week encampment on parkland near the Southfields Estate in Kempston.
The full extent of the mess left behind is becoming clear, with reports of up to 10 tonnes of household and garden waste being dumped and incidents of human and dog excrement being left near resident’s homes and footpaths.
A massive clean-up operation will have to be carried out, with costs running into thousands of pounds, and not for the first time, Borough taxpayers will be left to foot the bill.
Councillor Jas Parmar, Conservative Councillor for Kempston South, commented:
“I would be fined £75 if I threw a crisp wrapper in the street, yet travellers can get away with dumping tonnes of rubbish on the playing fields and defecating on parkland.”
“The trouble is, local authorities and the police still don’t have the powers they so obviously need to evict travellers as soon as they arrive and instead have to go through a due process of legal checks that can take days, or in this case, weeks.”
“What we need, and what the Conservatives have said many times, is a change of law. The Government in the Republic of Ireland has made illegal traveller encampments a form of criminal trespass, meaning that the travellers are evicted as soon as they arrive.”
“The trouble is, our Government is a ‘soft touch’ when its comes to illegal traveller encampments, refusing to change the law & refusing to give to local authorities and the police the powers they need to evict travellers on arrival, leaving local taxpayers to foot the bill.”
“Let’s now hope this mess can be cleared up quickly so local residents can have safe and free access to the park.”
Bedfordshire County Council issued an enforcement notice today, under Section 77 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, giving the travellers 24 hours to move on following a 6-week encampment on parkland near the Southfields Estate in Kempston.
The full extent of the mess left behind is becoming clear, with reports of up to 10 tonnes of household and garden waste being dumped and incidents of human and dog excrement being left near resident’s homes and footpaths.
A massive clean-up operation will have to be carried out, with costs running into thousands of pounds, and not for the first time, Borough taxpayers will be left to foot the bill.
Councillor Jas Parmar, Conservative Councillor for Kempston South, commented:
“I would be fined £75 if I threw a crisp wrapper in the street, yet travellers can get away with dumping tonnes of rubbish on the playing fields and defecating on parkland.”
“The trouble is, local authorities and the police still don’t have the powers they so obviously need to evict travellers as soon as they arrive and instead have to go through a due process of legal checks that can take days, or in this case, weeks.”
“What we need, and what the Conservatives have said many times, is a change of law. The Government in the Republic of Ireland has made illegal traveller encampments a form of criminal trespass, meaning that the travellers are evicted as soon as they arrive.”
“The trouble is, our Government is a ‘soft touch’ when its comes to illegal traveller encampments, refusing to change the law & refusing to give to local authorities and the police the powers they need to evict travellers on arrival, leaving local taxpayers to foot the bill.”
“Let’s now hope this mess can be cleared up quickly so local residents can have safe and free access to the park.”
