We can advise you that the legal process through the Parish Council insurance company has commenced (for the second time!) and the solicitor submitted a Possession Order last week to Basingstoke County Court. If this is Possession Order is not successful, a Court Order will be obtained for enforcement purposes. Unfortunately, the legal route is not a quick one and due to the backlog at the courts it can take between four to six months for travellers to be evicted. This route gives the Parish Council security for six years. The alternative is the Common Law route which could see a bailiff appointed and travellers evicted within a week to ten days, unfortunately, this course of action has no legal back up and as a result the travellers could be back within a week. As bailiffs cost between £1,200 and £3,000 per action, it is not a cheap route, whereas the Parish Council has legal expenses insurance to cover the legal route.
As you will appreciate the Parish Council has limited powers. We are in regular contact with the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) Traveller Liaison Officer who also liaises with Basingstoke police. The Parish Council Clerk also liaises with the local police neighbourhood team. As with the public, the Parish Council is very frustrated.
In the meantime, the Parish Council Clerk has arranged with the BDBC Street Cleansing Team to make more regular visits to the park to take away rubbish until the travellers are evicted.
Social media has also reported an allotment issue and the travellers using their water tap. There were no complaints from the Allotment Association and one of the travellers put on Facebook that they had been given permission to use it for the horses. This was subsequently confirmed to the Parish Council Clerk.
One of the other issues is to ensure that when the travellers are evicted, they do not gain access again. To this end the Parish Council have commissioned a metal gate with posts concreted in to replace the wooden T-Bar with an armoured padlock. They are also obtaining quotes to put a 200m bund around the perimeter of the park (similar to the one around the car park), to act as a further deterrent along with the dragons’ teeth posts and three new metal benches.
Following reports from residents, the neighbourhood police team have been notified about the late night noise and the travellers riding their horse and traps around the area, especially Burney Bit. However, it would appear that the Highways Acts do not apply to horses or horse drawn carriages! Therefore, the police are somewhat powerless to any take action. Despite all of this, the neighbourhood police team have been asked to pay the travellers a visit, in addition to their response team paying visits on Fridays and Mondays, to remind them to keep the noise down and the danger of riding around Burney Bit and not paying due care and attention with so many elderly people.
Pamber Parish Council