Travellers ordered to quit Ulverston site - Cumbria

From the North West Evening Mail

A GROUP of Travellers who have set up camp on a field in Ulverston are to be evicted after the matter was taken to court.

Major local employer GlaxoSmithKline, which owns the land, yesterday successfully applied to Barrow County Court for an eviction notice to be served on the group.

GSK site biopharms lead, Pat McIver said the company applied for the court order because it believed the Travellers were occupying the site illegally.

He said: “The group had gained access after locks were cut off – we don’t know who did that – so we considered the people on the land to be trespassing.”

The Travellers have been on the land, just off Morecambe Road, for around two weeks.

The subject of the Travellers was brought up at Monday’s meeting of Ulverston Town Council after a number of residents had raised concerns.

Sergeant Rupert Johnston, of Ulverston police, told members he was aware of the problem and that he expected it to be settled through the court.

County and district councillor Mark Wilson said several residents had brought the matter to his attention. He said: “People have been interested – it’s not a regular occurrence on that field.”

In the past, Travellers have been known to set up camp on Birkrigg Common.

Cllr Wilson said South Lakeland District Council had been made aware of the issue and, although the site wa s not council land, had acted “appropriately and sensitively” in the interest of both residents and the Travellers.

He added: “SLDC does have a great deal of history of co-operating with travelling folk.”

He also said he was not aware of any complaints about the Travellers’ behaviour while on the site.

It is understood there were around a dozen people on the site on one point.

The exact details of the eviction notice are private, so it is unclear how long the Travellers have been given to clear the site.