AN enclave of travellers pitched up in a city centre car park have been successfully evicted by police.

Police were called to an illegal encampment of eight caravans and 11 vehicles at the Granary car park in Victoria Road, Chelmsford on Wednesday (October 5).

Executing a section 61 eviction order, officers cleared the camp by around noon the next day.

A spokesman for Essex Police, said: “Police were called to reports of an unauthorised traveller encampment on a private car park on Victoria Road in Chelmsford just after 8.10pm (on) Wednesday, October 5.

Officers attended and found a group of eight caravans and 11 vehicles.
Police have served the group with a Section 61 order and given a deadline to leave the site by 12pm.

“All the vehicles had left the location by 12.30pm.”

The eviction came days after round-table meeting between Police and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst and council leaders on Wednesday (September 28).

Chelmsford council leader Roy Whitehead was in attendance, where ideas were thrashed out on how tackle a rapid increase in illegal incursions across the county.

Already, the borough council has this year spent about £100,000 on evictions according to Council, while the borough has suffered more than eight incursions in the last five months. 

Mr Whitehead said: “We are discussing across the Essex council how best to deal with this, so that all councils treat travellers the same.

“We are going to lobby the government to try and get laws changed, so that councils and police have more jurisdiction.

“The trouble is when you move on travellers you are moving them somewhere else.

“One solution is for councils to permit permanent traveller sites, but that’s hard because understandably many residents are not keen.”

The meeting was prompted following Brentwood Council leader Louise Mckinlay’s open letter to PCC Roger Hirst, questioning the force’s reluctance to use Section 61 notices.