Ministers want trespassing to be a criminal offence

Pressure grows on Government to act over illegal traveller camps set up on private land

MINISTERS are considering making trespassing a criminal offence to stop travellers moving on to private land.

The news has emerged after a series of incidents when travellers have taken up residence on land and the police have not acted swiftly to remove them.

Earlier this year there was outrage when travellers entered and wrecked Thwaites Brewery in Lancashire, and were allowed to drive away by police leaving damage estimated at £100,000.

Ministers are now examining whether to criminalise this behaviour, based on a similar law in Ireland which came into force in 2002.

More than 2,000 people responded to a consultation on how to deal with these so-called “unauthorised encampments” before it closed on June 15 and ministers are currently working on how to respond.

James Brokenshire, the Communities Secretary, held talks about how the law works in Ireland with Eoghan Murphy, the country’s housing minister, on Aug 28, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

Kit Malthouse, a junior housing minister, said he understood that “the pros and cons of the Irish model were discussed in some detail and I think there are some cons as well as pros”.

Former ministers lined up to pressure the Government to criminalise trespassing by travellers during a late night debate in Commons last week.

Mark Francois, a former local government minister, said that travellers had moved into “farmers’ fields, school fields, sports centres, industrial units and business parks, all of which is illegal and none have permission.

“As well as the anti-social behaviour that often occurs, by the time they have moved there are often considerable clean-up costs.”

He said his constituents “want us to change the law. They believe in the democratic process. They have come to us and said: ‘You are elected as legislators. You make laws. We want a change in the law and we are asking you democratically and peacefully to do something, but do not underestimate our level of frustration about the fact that nothing ever seems to get done’.”

The current powers open to police mean that they only have the right to move on the travellers, who can “move a few hundred yards down the road, reencamp, then the whole rigmarole starts all over again”.

Steve Double, the St Austell and Newquay MP, said that a problem in Cornwall was that residents faced “an influx of travellers who camp illegally”. He called for reforms “to simplify and streamline processes so that the police can take action on unauthorised sites much earlier and much quicker”.

The Traveller Movement, a charity supporting the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community, did not comment when approached.