Council serves notice on Travellers to leave Hunt End - Worcestershire

From the Redditch Advertiser

REDDITCH Council has today served notice on a group of Travellers who have set up camp in Hunt End, after they failed to vacate the land on an agreed date.

Residents living near Hunt End Lane informed the Advertiser that they had remained “tolerate and patient” initially, but when the first agreed date passed, and instead of moving on, more horses and vehicles settled onto the area’s verges, their patience grew thinner.

The Travellers moved to the site on about November 2, and after discussions with Redditch Council, spokesman for the Travellers, Mr Delaney, agreed they vacate on November 12.

But as that date came and went, and residents became increasingly frustrated with new horses and 4x4 vehicles arriving, and the “mess” being caused, Redditch Council decided that legal action had to be taken

Sue Hanley, executive director for leisure, environment & community services, said: “We have been working closely with Mr Delaney and residents to find a solution that works for everyone in this very sensitive situation.

“Mr Delaney understands the area is council-owned land and is also a nature reserve and that he cannot remain there. It was agreed on November 5 that Mr Delaney would vacate the site on November 12 and we identified alternative sites to move to.

“Unfortunately, Mr Delaney has since reneged on this agreement, leaving us with no choice but to put the matter on a legal footing.

“On November 14 we served notice on Mr Delaney advising him that he has 48 hours to vacate the land. Unfortunately, due to a backlog at Redditch Magistrates’ Court, the earliest we are currently expecting to be able to enforce this notice would be Friday, November 23.

“Councillor Brandon Clayton and council officers are going to visit some of the key local people involved on November 16 to reassure them that we are tackling this issue. We would ask affected residents to please bear with us while we try to resolve matters as speedily as possible.”