Landowner uses bailiffs to evict Traveller families - Essex

From the Chelmsford Weekly News

TRAVELLERS have been evicted from an illegal site by bailiffs.

Three families moved on to land opposite the Rapid Electronics site off Severalls Lane, Colchester, on Thursday.

It was the second time in as many months that Travellers had moved onto the land, which is privately owned.

Despite concrete blocks being put across an access road to the site, the Travellers managed to get their three caravans and pick-up truck on to the land by driving in between a line of trees bordering the area.

However, the landowner ordered private bailiffs to the site on Saturday and the Travellers were asked to leave the site by 5pm the following day.

The landowner, who asked not to be named, would not disclose the cost of the operation.

He said it was the second time he had taken the action at the site. After a different group of Travellers arrived there last month and were moved.

He said: “If you go to any bailiff company, they will deal with it for you. I took the action because of the mess that was left on the site – the longer people are there, the worse the site gets and has to be cleared up.”

The landowner said he would be installing more concrete blocks in between the trees to stop Travellers accessing the site again.

Gerard Oxford, High Woods ward councillor, said: “My concern is that private landowners, private business and private residents have no protection and, because they are private landowners, they are left to pick up the bill at every single incident that will occur in the future. Some order of protection should be there to stop illegal occupation, and there isn’t.”