Travellers on old Beccles tip given order to leave tomorrow - Suffolk

From EDP24

A group of Travellers who were temporarily allowed to stay on a former tip have been given a court order that demands they move tomorrow.

The Travellers set up camp on the old Beccles household waste recycling site, off the A146, in the middle of January but are still there, despite initially agreeing to leave by Friday, April 27 in “tolerance meetings” with district councillors, the police, Norfolk and Suffolk county councils, and the town council.

Suffolk county councillor Chris Punt said the council had now turned to legal proceedings after being disappointed the Travellers did not leave on the agreed date.

The council did try to evict the Travellers under section 77 of the 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, but after that was challenged, they have issued another one.

Mr Punt said: “There were issued a section 77 at 6.10pm on Wednesday night and have got until tomorrow to go, and if they don’t there will be a court hearing next week.”

He added: “If we get to court next week it will be a criminal offence and then police will be used to get them off.”

The household waste recycling site was initially earmarked for closure on May 9 last year as part of Suffolk County Council’s cost-cutting measures.

However, after Waveney District Council stepped forward to help, it remained open until the end of October when a new centre, run by B & B Skip Hire, was opened in Beccles Business Park, in Ellough.

Suffolk County Council is currently in the process of transferring the original site to Beccles Town Council, who intends to use it as additional car parking for the nearby Marsh Trail that is used by both walkers and cyclists.