Yellow caravan towed away and boat seized
A HOMELESS man claims he has been bullied by Derby City Council after officers and police removed the yellow caravan and boat he has been living in at one of the city’s busiest junctions.
The man, known as Tiggz Dat Author, claims as many as 15 police officers and six council workers arrived at the Cockpit and towed him away.
The 33-year-old, whose given name is Stephen Bullock, said the boat, which he says “belongs to the world”, was seized but with the help of a friend he has been able to move the caravan to what he describes as “a safe haven”.
He says he plans to go to the city council and demand his boat back.
Tiggz said: “They have bullied a homeless man who is trying to bring peace, love and unity, out of the place where he lives and that is disgusting. The boat is my possession but it belongs to the world and they had no right to take it. I will be going to the council and demanding they give it back to me.”
Tiggz camped his distinctive Jamaica-themed caravan and boat in the central reservation on December 22 and has been living there ever since.
But on Friday morning, the council served him with an eviction notice ordering him to leave with his belongings. The authority that he is a danger to himself and road users by occupying the site and if he did not move, it would impound the caravan.
On Saturday morning, the dad-ofone said: “It was about 4pm yesterday and I was sat in my caravan when I heard this loud beeping noise outside. I went out and there must have been 15 police officers, six council people, a riot van and three council vehicles.
“I said to one of the policemen ‘come on then, what’s going on here, who’s in charge?’ and he pointed me in the direction of one of the council workers. They then loaded up the boat and then the caravan, too.
“Thankfully, I called a mate and he came and helped me get the caravan back and move it to a safe haven and I’m living here now. I didn’t see any paperwork, no court order, no bailiffs letter, nothing. It’s just disgusting.”
Tiggz has previously told how he had come to the city to spread a message of “peace, love and unity”, having set up camp in August. He feels the council was not being supportive.
On Friday, he said he had received an eviction letter that morning and felt it was wrong for it to try and get him to move on.
He said: “People love the message I’m bringing and I’m not doing anything bad. I want to be treated like a human being. Now the council are threatening to try and destroy my stuff. Now they’re going to take it away and if they do that I’m going to be a homeless man again.”
On Friday, a city council spokesperson said the decision had been made as the authority felt he posed a danger to himself and road users.
In a statement, the authority said: “Derby City Council has today issued a notice to Mr Stephen Bullock to leave the area of Cockpit island on which he has been trespassing since his arrival in December. The notice requires that Mr Bullock removes the belongings currently situated on the Cockpit Island within 24 hours and if he does not do so they will be taken and impounded by the council.
“Following lengthy and detailed conversations with legal services and partner organisations, the view of the council is that the caravan and boat being situated on a very busy traffic junction presents a danger to himself and road users that cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely.
“Since the arrival of Mr Bullock in Derby on Tuesday, December 22, he has consistently refused to engage with any and all offers of assistance and accommodation by council officers including regular visits by the public protection team and ... housing officers, leaving little option but to take legal steps to remove him in the most safe and timely way possible.”
In response, Tiggz says he has refused the housing he has been offered as he has suffered abuse and does not want his own five-year-old son to potentially be put at risk.
He said: “I want my son to have the best chances in life as possible.”