CLAMP CAMPS

Cops blitz illegal travellers

THE war on travellers is being stepped up as the Government battles to ban illegal campsites.

The Home Office will discuss plans to give police sweeping new powers to arrest people and seize caravans parked without permission.

Unauthorised sites are currently dealt with as a civil matter but would become a criminal offence.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Unauthorised encampments can cause misery to those who live nearby, with reports of damage to property, noise, abuse and littering.

The public want their communities protected, and for the police to crack down on trespassers.

“Our proposals aim to ensure these encampments can be challenged and removed as quickly as possible.”

The Home Office will discuss the reforms with local authorities, police forces, travellers and the public.

The review could see people on land without permission being charged with criminal trespass. Changes will also include increasing the time offenders are banned from returning to areas, from three months to a year.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has already made £2million available to councils to tackle illegal sites, with funding also set aside under the Affordable Homes Programme to develop authorised ones. The Government tried to manage the situation in 2011 by closing the infamous Dale Farm traveller camp.

It led to riots between police and travellers with supporters setting a caravan on fire, left. Following a lengthy eviction battle, the Essex camp has become a filthy “£7million fly-tip”, despite plans to turn it into a green belt site. Locals have been forced to build a concrete fence to stop people dumping rubbish on the overgrown area. A resident said: “It’s just not safe with all this rubbish here and it looks awful.”