‘We will not resort straight away to criminal prosecution’ of travellers, say police

North Yorkshire Police has said it will not “resort straight away” to criminal prosecution of travellers who set up illegal encampments.

Travellers have pitched up at Hay-a-Park in Knaresborough and on the playing field at Ashville College in Harrogate this month.

Asked today by a member of the public why officers did not use the Criminal Disorder Act 1984, which prohibits trespassing, deputy chief constable Phil Cain said the police always looked to resolve the matter at “the earliest opportunity”.

But he added the force had a “graduated response” to dealing with such incidents.

DCC Cain, speaking at a North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner public accountability meeting, said police had to balance the human rights of all those involved, particularly as the travelling community often has families with small children.

He said:

“The graduated response from North Yorkshire Police, as it is with other forces, is that we will not resort straight away to criminal prosecution. We will engage with the travelling community and the land owners as we have done on this occasion.

“We will seek to resolve the matter at the earliest opportunity using the least intrusive means possible. That includes graduating up through private land owners utilising powers in civil courts for unlicensed travellers settlements all the way through to the final element, which would be criminal prosecution.

“On this occasion, local officers have engaged with the travelling community and they have agreed to move on without the need for us to resort to criminal prosecution.”

Read more:

“It’s not that we are not prepared to use these powers, it’s that there has to be a graduated response and we have to show that graduated response in order to show that we are complying with the Human Rights Act.”

Last week travellers set up camp on Ashville College’s rugby pitch and demanded £5,000 to leave, according to a college spokesperson.

However, after less than two days the travellers hitched up their caravans and moved on. The college said they left of their own accord.

Hay-a-Park rugby field in Knaresborough was sealed off by police and deemed to be a health hazard due to the amount of human excrement after travellers departed on August 10.

Knaresborough traveller site Hay-A-Park

A police cordon sealing off Hay-a-Park rugby field after travellers left.

Travellers leave Ashville College without causing damage

A group of travellers who set up camp at Ashville College in Harrogate have now vacated the sports field without causing any damage.

The travellers parked up their caravans at the fee-paying school’s rugby pitch on Tuesday evening. A spokesman for the college said they were prepared to leave immediately for £5,000.

According to the spokesman, the group are on their way to a wedding in Ireland after attending the annual Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria.

The school was concerned that if the group stayed for a prolonged period then it could have to delay the start of the new term on September 8.

Ashville College called the police and started the court process to evict them.

Read more:

However, after less than two days the travellers hitched up their caravans and moved on. The college said they left of their own accord.

Groundskeeping staff at Ashville College then carried out an inspection of the field and found no damage.

So Ashville’s series of summer sports activities can now resume outdoors after the presence of travellers forced the school to take it inside.

A spokesman for Ashville College told the Stray Ferret this morning:

“We are pleased to report that after less than two days, the travellers that set up camp on our sports pitches have now vacated the grounds.

“Our groundskeeping staff have conducted a thorough inspection of the rugby fields and can confirm that there is no damage, and that they are safe for games to be resumed.”

‘Significant hurdles’ could delay moves to evict Ashville College travellers

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott has warned that attempts to remove travellers from Harrogate’s Ashville College face “significant hurdles”.

Travellers parked at the fee-paying school’s rugby pitch on Tuesday evening and remain on site. A spokesman for the college said the travellers had indicated they were prepared to leave immediately if they received £5,000.

Now the school has said it may have to delay the start of the autumn term on September 8 if the travellers do not leave because of safeguarding concerns. The college has already had to relocate outdoor summer sports activities to indoors.

But any prospect of a swift resolution to the matter seems remote.

A spokesman for Ashville College told the Stray Ferret police officers said they were powerless to take action when staff got in touch because it is a civil rather than criminal matter.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Police about the incident but has not received a response.

Read more:

Harrogate Borough Council has said it is willing to give advice to the college but is also powerless to act because the encampment is on private land.

Mr Allott, whose job is to hold the police to account, told us police and local authorities were in a tricky spot when it came to travellers. He said:

“I know how frustrating it can be for residents who feel helpless when travellers arrive in their community, and how frustrating it can be for the police and local authorities who want to help but face significant hurdles doing so.

“The issue is that trespass is a civil offence and not a criminal offence. So if the encampment is on private land such as Ashville College, it is the landowner’s responsibility unless there are other crimes being committed.”

New law could speed up evictions

The situation may change if the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, becomes law.

The bill proposes making “residing in a vehicle on land without permission” a specific offence.

It will also give the police power to seize vehicles and speed up the eviction process for councils and private landowners.

Mr Allott, whose home town of Knaresborough has also recently been visited by travellers, added:

“Although the instigator of the initial complaint will still mostly be the local authority or landowner, it will mean that things will happen much faster and that they can also use the police for enforcement purposes instead of bailiffs.

“Frankly, these measures can’t come soon enough for many here in North Yorkshire and I continue to urge the Home Secretary to get these powers written into law as soon as possible.

“We must support residents, schools and sports clubs – who often suffer the most from the impact of these illegal camps.

“These changes would, I hope, also be welcomed by the vast majority of travellers who get an unfair and negative image despite the majority abiding by the law.”

Travellers set up camp at Harrogate’s Ashville College – and demand £5,000 to leave

Travellers have set up an illegal camp on the sports field at Harrogate’s Ashville College — and demanded £5,000 to leave immediately.

The school has said their presence raises safeguarding concerns that could delay the return to school on September 8.

Cars and caravans drove onto the rugby pitches behind the fee-paying school’s Mallinson boarding house on Yew Tree Lane last night.

According to a college spokesman, they told school staff they were on their way to a wedding in Ireland after attending the annual Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria.

However, the travellers said if the school paid them £5,000 they were prepared to leave immediately without causing any damage.

But if no money was forthcoming, they said they would increase the length of their stay and implied they would invite other members of the travelling community to join them, the spokesman added.

This week, the college is staging a series of summer sports activities for boys and girls. These have now had to be brought indoors as the college is concerned about the safety of the children.

Despite the camp’s presence being a safeguarding issue, the college is worried that the only route it can now take to remove the travellers is to apply for a court order, which could take up to 10 days, and interrupt the start of term.

The spokesman said:

“Despite the travellers illegally camping on our grounds, which is private property, and their presence being a child safeguarding issue, the police state they are powerless to take action.

“This has already impacted on our summer sports camps and there’s a possibility the start of the new term may have to be delayed.

“We are now having to engage the services of a solicitor to help us apply for a court order, and in the meantime we are powerless to do anything, which is incredibly frustrating and worrying.”

Boulders installed to stop illegal traveller site in Knaresborough

Harrogate Borough Council has said large boulders will be installed at the site on Hay-A-Park Lane to try and prevent future illegal encampments.

The council has said the boulders are a temporary measure.

At the beginning of the month a large number of caravans arrived on Knaresborough’s rugby fields off Hay-A-Park Lane. The travellers were given an eviction notice by the council and left a week later.

A large amount of rubbish and human excrement was left at the site. Local residents called for volunteers to help with the clear-up but they were met by the police and told to stay away because of the threat to human health.

A council spokesperson said the site was cleaned by a group of council staff over “a couple of days” and added:

“There was numerous items of rubbish including furniture and white goods.

“A temporary solution of large boulders will be installed to prevent illegal encampments.”

Read more:

The council has not confirmed where the boulders will be placed but it is likely they will be put in the gap between the hedges in front of the gravelled entrance.

No further information was given on permanent measures.

Stray Views: Let’s do more to help travellers

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. See below for details on how to contribute.

Let’s do more to help travellers

What a good idea for districts to provide stops for travellers en route to Appleby Horse Fair.

Having lived in the area for 80 years, I see the slight inconvenience of a couple of nights encampment en route or return as no problem.

Travellers have always stayed in the district. In my youth we had the fair at Boroughbridge. Traffic slowed to let the horses and caravans go along their slow and steady way. We have seen the steady decline in public houses over the years (a very English tradition) and we are in danger of losing our identity.

Yes, hold the travellers to account over how they leave the site and make arrangements for them to pay for a clear up, or block their exit if it is not done, I am sure they would comply as a safe stopover is better for all if put into place. Councils should think twice about costly court orders and put common sense into the mix.

Sandra Theobald, Harrogate

Read more:

We need new blood on our councils

Councillor Carl Les talks about fairness but what people want to know is: by how much their bills are going to reduce and what economies he is going to introduce?

There is no mention of this and no plan so until he can produce this, it’s not convincing. We also need new blood in our councillors, not just a reshuffle.

Harrogate people also want to know that their payments are actually spent in the town and not elsewhere in the region e.g. our roads are bad and North Yorkshire County Council’s highways department has consistently dragged its feet about traffic improvements whilst locals have told them how to improve matters.

What we really need, is for Harrogate to become a city and control its own affairs — we are certainly getting to this size.

Until we do, our cash can be siphoned elsewhere with little or no say about it.

John Holder, Harrogate

Harrogate Christmas Market is tacky!

I’m glad the Harrogate Christmas Market has been declined permission.
Harrogate is supposed to be posh but the market, along with the Christmas decorations, make it really tacky.
Susan Monk, Harrogate

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Council exploring ways to keep travellers off Knaresborough park

Harrogate Borough Council is exploring ways to prevent travellers from using Hay-a-Park as a professional clean up operation gets underway.

Volunteers from Knaresborough Wombles had planned to help out. But police deemed it a health hazard due to human excrement and warned the group to stay away this morning.

So Harrogate Borough Council has stepped in and sent in staff to survey the site and clear it in a safe manner. It’s unclear at this stage how long the process will take.

The council had served the travellers with an eviction notice on August 3 but the group only left yesterday.

We sent a reporter down to Hay-a-Park today who found piles of rubbish across the area, a trashed outbuilding and a strong smell of faeces.

Read more:

Once the council workers restore the park, officers will look into ways to prevent illegal encampments in the future.

Cllr Andy Bell, who serves the Scriven ward on Knaresborough Town Council and set up Knaresborough Wombles, told the Stray Ferret:

“In terms of what happens in the next few days we will need professionals with proper equipment to come and sanitise the site.

“Then we will have to look at ways to secure that site and maybe try to find a specific area for the travellers to stay.

“Next year we are looking at how we can handle the situation in a different way.”

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesman said:

“Now that the travellers have moved on we are in the process of clearing the site. We are also exploring other options to prevent further illegal encampments in the future.”

A police spokesman said:

“This is a council matter. We attended to tape off the area to protect the public prior to the council attending to deal with it.”

More pictures:

rubbish left on Knaresborough rugby field

Court action begins to remove travellers in Knaresborough

Harrogate Borough Council said today it is to begin court action to evict travellers from land in Knaresborough.

The council served a 24-hour eviction notice to the travellers five days ago after a large number of caravans arrived on Hay-A-Park Lane.

But the caravans remained on site today. In a statement, Harrogate Borough Council said:

“We will now take action through the courts to regain possession of the land owned by Harrogate Borough Council.”

It is not known how long the court action could take.

Some people have speculated on social media that the travellers will move on for Appleby Horse Fair, which takes place last week.

One local resident told the Stray Ferret some of the travellers appeared to have left and that the remaining caravans were now pitched in the middle of the field.

Read more:

 

Travellers remain in Knaresborough despite eviction notice

A large number of caravans remain in place in Knaresborough despite an eviction notice from Harrogate Borough Council giving them 24 hours to leave.

The group of people, thought to be from the Traveller community, pitched up in Hay-A-Park near the rugby club during the last week.

The council has said it is an “illegal encampment” and served the Travellers with a 24-hour notice to vacate yesterday afternoon.

However, the caravans remained on site this afternoon. The council said in a statement today “further action would be explored”.

Many locals think the caravans will move on to Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria this weekend.

Read more:

Sharon Calvert, from Knaresborough, called for a long-term solution to prevent the issue re-occurring. She said transit camps should be opened in the weeks around the horse fair.

Ms Calvert, the women’s and equality officer for Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party, said providing transit camps with the necessary facilities would stop conflict arising between Travellers and residents.

“This will keep happening each year so there needs to be something in place. Why can’t councils link up and put something in place for the Travellers? We should be looking for positive solutions.”

There are two official Gypsy and Traveller sites in the Harrogate district, at Bickerton and Thistle Hill, both owned and managed by North Yorkshire County Council.

A county council spokesman said:

“The responsibility for ensuring there is appropriate accommodation provision for gypsies and travellers lies with district councils within their housing function.”
Eviction notice served on Knaresborough travellers

Harrogate Borough Council has begun moves to evict travellers from a field at Hay-A-Park Lane in Knaresborough.

Numerous caravans have pitched up at the site near the rugby field in the last week. Many locals think they will move on to Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria this weekend.

But a council spokesman said today the site was not designated for use by travellers and Gypsies. He said:

“We have visited the illegal encampment and served a notice to vacate.”

Christine Willoughby, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Knaresborough Eastfield, said:

“We do suffer from these illegal encampments in Knaresborough. They stay long enough to make a mess and make residents unhappy. I just wish they would be respectful of local residents.

“I’ve had a few residents get in touch about the travellers. So far they seem to be tidy and maybe they will leave peacefully but in previous years they’ve left a mess.”

The travellers have polarised opinion on social media, with some local residents saying people should “leave them be” and others expressing concerns about tidiness.

Read more:

The council’s website says:

“There are two official Gypsy and traveller sites in the Harrogate district, at Bickerton and Thistle Hill, both owned and managed by North Yorkshire County Council.

“Outside of these sites, if Gypsies and travellers set up a camp on council-owned land, and if they’re causing problems, they’ll be moved on as soon as is possible and reasonable. We consider each case on its merits.

“If they’re on private land, it’s usually the landowner’s responsibility.”