Full list of all 17 traveller camps in Exeter since 2016

New figures reveal Exeter City Council spent nearly £20,000 moving traveller groups off their land in the last two years.

A report by Sam Partridge, senior estates surveyor for the council, listed 17 encampments across eight locations, lasting for a total of 118 days and consisting of 106 caravans between May 2016 and May 2018.

A total of £19,716.43 was spent on moving the travellers on and clearing up.

The report said that regular encampments, especially during the summer months on city council-owned land used by the public, is causing distress to users and nearby residents.

And he added that the same sites may be re-revisited and often barriers are cut or fences uprooted to gain access.

The council, in a response to a Government consultation, have also suggested that a court order, once granted, should protect a site for a number of months to prevent multiple reoccupation and that unauthorised encampments should be criminalised where there was “deemed aggravated trespass” in order to gain access.

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Exeter City Council’s place scrutiny committee last Thursday were presented with the report.

Cllr Cynthia Thompson said: “There is a common thread. In addition to the school holidays, there is a correlation to some of the festivals in the vicinity of Exeter.

“Travellers often come on a Friday evening when offices are closed, so until Monday, we cannot do anything about them, but we get lots of calls over the weekend about them.

“There has been anti-social behaviour and intimidation, but residents are confused as to what is a police matter. The barrier at Station Road in Pinhoe was sheared off with a metal tool, but the response from the police was ‘did anyone see it?’ Residents do not know who will deal with these issues when they happen.”

Cllr Duncan Wood added that Pinhoe seems to be very popular for travellers. He added: “Eastern Fields has had incursions twice and intelligence we received was that another one was due, so we put some effort into protecting the site.

“Unfortunately, they moved onto Station Road playing fields and because the numbers were high and their behaviour was certainly extreme, it was very unpleasant for the residents.

“The key thing is not how quickly or effectively they are moved on and how and when action is taken by the police, but that they are not able to get into sites in the first place.”

But he admitted: “There are a huge number of sites that the city council are responsible for that can be invaded by travellers and there is a limit on the amount that the council can do, so there is likely to be more incursions somewhere no matter what we do.

“We need a spotlight review of not only the measures to prevent or restrict travellers, but an overview of the actions that we take to move travellers on when they break into a site.”

The report said that a robust package of security measures, with involve excavations and obstacles, at Riverside Valley Park put in place some years ago have proved very successful, with similar measures appropriate for the access points to Exhibition Fields.

At King George V Playing Fields a system of staggered bollards along the entrance drive has been suggested which would exclude long wheelbase towed vehicles from entering.

The committee heard what Exeter City Council’s responses to a Government consultation on powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments.

Exeter City Council said that:

An order to leave once granted by the court in respect of a particular site should remain in force in respect of that site for a period of at least four months and infringement during that period should be a criminal offence.
Powers should be extended to allow the police to direct travellers to leave if criminal damage has been caused in accessing public land with the intention of creating an unauthorised encampment i.e. cutting locks, digging up posts and gates and the burden of proof for this activity reduced from beyond reasonable doubt to “reasonable likelihood in the circumstances”.
The offence of aggravated trespass should be extended to “deemed aggravated trespass” in relation to any operational publicly held land or sites e.g. parks, public open spaces, public car parks etc.

The committee unanimously agreed to undertake a spotlight review around travellers.

The report outlined the encampments that have taken place between May 2016 and May 2018 where there had been 17 encampments across eight locations, lasting for a total of 118 days and consisting of 106 caravans.

LIST OF ENCAMPMENTS

1- Millennium Wood – May 2016

Incursion consisted of four caravans and lasted three days. Force had been used for entry by angle grinding off the locking mechanism from the metal site barrier. Costs of £100 for clean-up and £250 for barrier repair.

2 - Haven Road Car Park – May 2016

Incursion consisted of eight caravans and lasted eight days, moving on when court order was granted. Costs of £115 for clean-up and £280 court fee.

The travellers are based in one of the Haven Banks car parks (Image: Richard Amofa)

3 - Haven Road Car Park – June 2016

Incursion of five caravans and a horsebox and lasted three days. Moved on when court order was served and had left no rubbish or damage behind. Costs of £280 court fee.

4 - Ludwell Valley Park– August 2016

Incursion of four caravans lasting for two days. Clean-up costs of £300.

5 - Public open space between South Grange and Russell Way

Incursion of 16 caravans lasting for six days. Gained access when a boulder installed to stop access had been moved aside by council contractors to cut the grass but had not been put back. Travellers moved off while council were in court, leading to costs of £355 court costs, £80 of legal fees and £180 bailiff fee. No clean-up was required.

Walkers and cyclist go past a travellers camp complete with washing line (Image: Leicester Mercury)

6 - Exwick Playing Fields – September 2016

Incursion of eight caravans lasting for seven days. Left site once served notice by the council. Court costs of £355 and legal fee of £120.

7 - Cowick Barton Playing Fields – September 2016

Incursion of two caravans lasting for 14 days. Had left site when court papers ordering them to leave were being served. Court costs of £355 and legal fee of £120, with no clean-up costs.

8 - Exhibition Fields – May 2017

Incursion of 14 caravans lasting for 12 days. Gates were unlocked when they arrived. Travellers left the site once court papers served. Court costs of £55, bailiff fee of £2,350.40, legal fee of £120 and clean-up costs of £1,266.28

Travellers on the King George V playing fields (Image: Credit Daniel Clark)

9 - Haven Road Coach Park – June 2017

Incursion of five caravans lasting for two days. No damage, no forced entry, and no clean-up costs.

10 - Haven Road Car Park – August 2017

Incursion of six caravans lasting for five days. Travellers left after court action. Costs of £355 court fee, £120 legal fee and £35 clean-up costs

11- Land at the "The Ark" Exton Road – August 2017

Incursion of five caravans lasting for eight days. Travellers left site once bailiffs arrived. Costs of £355 court fee, legal fee of £180, bailiff fee of £1,994 and £2,592 spent on 24-hour security of the site.

Travellers on land at Exeter's King George V playing fields

12 - King George V Playing Fields – August 2017

Incursion of seven caravans lasting for nine days. Left site once bailiff arrived with court order. Costs of £355 court fee and a bailiff fee of £1,696.50.

13 - Haven Road Car & Coach Park – September 2017

Incursion of five caravans lasting for eight days. Travellers left once court papers were served. Court fee of £355.