Travellers found guilty of being in contempt of a High Court Injunction - Cambridgshire

From South Cambridgeshire District Council

Four Travellers residing in South Cambridgeshire were committed to prison for 28 days, suspended on the condition that they purge their contempt within 21 days, which involves the removal of caravans, mobile homes, vehicles and residential paraphernalia from land situated at the Oaks, Meadow Road, Willingham. They were also ordered to pay costs totalling £18,840.

The Travellers Adophus Buckley, Sherry Buckley, Elsie Holmes and Jess Forstick (also known as Jess Holmes and Jess Smith) failed to comply with a High Court injunction, served in December 2007, that required named defendants and persons unknown from using or allowing the use of the land identified within the injunction or any part of it for the siting of residential mobile homes and/or caravans without the grant of express planning permission. The injunction also prevents any part of the land being used for residential development, including the storage of vehicles, caravans/mobile homes and residential paraphernalia.

The defendants appeared before Mr T. Straker QC on Thursday 5 July at the Royal Courts of Justice, London. The offence was brought to court by South Cambridgeshire District Council.

Cllr Pippa Corney, South Cambridgeshire District Council's cabinet member for planning, said:

"I hope this sends a clear message that we are prepared to use all legal powers at our disposal to protect our public spaces. I would urge that Travellers do not use unauthorised plots of land for residential purposes, but comply with the law and find new sites legally."