Travellers have been in the UK for more than 500 years. Contrary to popular belief, their numbers have actually increased in the past few decades. What has decreased is the number of sites where they are allowed to park their caravans legally. This has led to an increase in cases where those caravans wind up on private land. If you are an aggrieved property owner who wants to know how to evict travellers from private land, keep reading as we explain your best options below.
MS Webb Asset Protection Experts Detail How to Evict Travellers from Private Land
Due to trespassing being a civil matter, rather than criminal, the police can offer little assistance in the removal of trespassers. Below, we have outlined the variety of methods to start the eviction process.
Common Law
Under Section 61 of the Criminal Justice Act, landowners have the right to evict travellers from their land and may use “reasonable force” if circumstances require. However, as the property owner, you cannot apply this reasonable force yourself. Instead, you will need to have a Certified Enforcement Officer or Officers perform the eviction as they are trained to stay within the law while performing the eviction.
The eviction process starts when the Enforcement Officer, on behalf of the property owner, asks the trespassers to leave. 24 hours is usually given for the travellers to vacate. Suppose the trespassers have not left after 24 hours. In that case, the Enforcement Officers will typically return to evict the travellers with police in tow to observe and respond if any criminal activity occurs.
Writ of Possession
If a landowner has asked travellers to leave and they refuse to go, the landowner can also apply to the court for a writ of possession. Once the writ has been issued, it can then be either delivered directly to the trespassers or posted in a prominent place where they can see it. Ultimately, if the travellers refuse to comply, a High Court Enforcement Officer will perform the eviction. The downside of this approach is that it takes longer than the common law approach.
Contact MS Webb
Trespassing travellers can get very aggressive when confronted by property owners. For this reason, the wisest course of action is to enlist the services of the asset protection experts at MS Webb. Our Certified Enforcement Officers are no-nonsense professionals with years of experience dealing with these types of situations. To learn more about how to evict travellers from private land, call us now on 0844 544 4804. You can also find out more about your rights and how we tackle the problem on your behalf by downloading our Guide to Traveller Eviction here