From the Kingston
Travellers who pitched their caravans on a recreation ground will be forced to leave following a court hearing.
The five caravans arrived on the Fairfield, Kingston, after driving in through a gap in fencing on June 18.
None of the Travellers turned up for a hearing, which was held to decide if they could stay on the site, at Kingston County Court today, June 26.
Judge Claire Jakens ruled the Travellers were illegally staying on the land and granted an outright possession order, which means they must leave as soon as is practical.
Anne Murphy shares a caravan with her husband and five children and said the decision came as no surprise and they felt it was not worth attending the hearing.
She said: "It’s what we were expecting; we weren’t expecting them to show us any compassion.
"We have no rights. At the moment we haven’t been given notice but when we find out the day they want us out by then we will probably just go."
Another Traveller, who only wanted to be referred to as Mike, said they would have liked to stay a bit longer on the site.
He said: "We don’t have enough sites, that’s the reason we get on the road and why we have to stay here.
"We would prefer a real site. We don’t like taking other people's parks and annoying other people."
The Travellers had their stay extended for health checks on a pregnant woman and children believed to have measles.
Council security officers have manned the entrance into the Fairfield since the Travellers arrived, to stop more caravans arriving.
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