Another camp arrived just days after previous encampment was moved on

Ealing Common travellers: Liz Jenner

An encampment of travellers reappeared on Ealing Common this Tuesday (1 August) less than a week after a group was moved on from the park.

The Council have reported that the unauthorised group has dispersed as of this Wednesday morning. They say that their is a process that must be followed before legal notices can be issued before possession of the site can be obtained so it is not practical to evict groups immediately.

Notices had been served on the previous camp on Ealing Common on 25 July and the travellers moved on the next day.

It is not known at this stage whether this is a different group from the travelling community or the same one returning. A group in Springfield Gardens in Acton moved on last Tuesday and another camp in Brent Meadows in Hanwell also departed on Wednesday 26 July.

Travellers have consistently appeared on the Common over the last few years

A group encamped on Ealing Common this May and the previous year there was a lengthy legal battle to remove a group which resulted in them merely moving to the other side of the common. Persistent use of the common in this way has led to calls for measures to be taken to restrict access to the land for vehicles.

A council spokesperson said, “The unauthorised encampment at Ealing Common has now been dispersed.

“The council works with the police to take strong and immediate action against illegal encampments in the borough. We visited this site and carried out the checks and assessments the council is legally obliged to before serving the encampment with a direction to leave, under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act. Any failure to comply with this would have seen the council seek a removal order from magistrates court.

“There has been an increase in the number of unauthorised encampments nationally and the council is working hard to ensure the duration of such camps appearing in the borough is minimised."

Ealing Council have said previously that their officers work closely with Parkguard and the police to respond quickly to unauthorised encampments on council-owned land. They claim that the increasing number of encampments is a drain on local resources which they find frustrating. However they are obliged to consider each encampment on its merits and operate within the law.

They have responded to the increase by streamlining their processes to take back possession of land as soon as is legally and practically possible. They have an official site in the borough specifically for travellers.

August 2, 2017