Travellers Quit Brent Lea After Eviction Notice Served

Council say borough experiencing large number of incursions

The traveller encampment on Brent Lea. Picture: Facebook

August 4, 2023

A group of travellers who appeared on Brent Lea in Brentford have left after being served an eviction notice.

The group of four caravans are believed to have arrived on Tuesday night (1 August). A fire was started near a tree on the grass area the following day which required the attendance of the Fire Brigade.

The council’s neighbourhood enforcement team served the required legal notice on all the unauthorised vehicles and caravans on Wednesday morning posting it on the park gates. This gave the group 24 hours to leave from the time of the serving of this notice but they were still there when the deadline had passed on Thursday leading to concerns that bailiffs would need to be summoned to confiscate their vehicles.

However, it is understood that they departed some time later that day. Park users who visited the area on Friday reported that the area was free of any littering.

Other groups were also reported to have made encampments in Gunnersbury Park and Chiswick Back Common. It is thought possible that they are part of a larger group who have split up because the authorities have greater powers to evict larger encampments.

The Gunnersbiyr Park encampment consisted of several caravans at the South West corner of the park at the southern end of the football pitches. The parks management advised park visitors not to approach the encampment.

Councillor Ajmer Grewal, Cabinet Member for Safety and Regulatory Services at Hounslow Council, said, “We are currently experiencing a large number of incursions in the borough, which is not uncommon for this time of year. This issue is treated as high priority, and resources are diverted accordingly. Officers in the enforcement team work 7 days a week and will attend an encampment as soon as we are notified of their arrival.

“When a traveller encampment arrives in the borough on public land, officers from the Council are required to undertake welfare assessments of those on site, and ascertain whether there are any needs in terms of welfare and if necessary make appropriate referrals to key partners. We work closely with our colleagues and the police who will also attend site and issue those present with a Code of Conduct.

“As and when eviction is required, there is a legal process that must be followed, including ascertaining documentation from the magistrates court. This can take approximately a week to complete with a court hearing, and in some cases the council may need to enlist the services of bailiffs in order to move an encampment on.

“Any concerns regarding criminality associated with a traveller encampment should be reported to the police either via 101 or in an emergency via 999.”

Hounslow Council provides 30 pitches and facilities for Travellers and Gypsies at the Hartlands Caravan Park in Heston.

The police were given significantly enhanced powers to remove unauthorised encampments by amendments to existing legislation which came into force in June of last year.

If someone fails to leave “as soon as reasonably practicable” after being requested to, the police can arrest them. The police can also seize and remove vehicles from those suspected of this offence.

However, guidance given at a national level to police officers states, “the mere presence of a group unauthorised encampment without any aggravating factors should not normally create an expectation that police will use eviction powers.”

Residents can report illegal encampments to Hounslow Council by calling 020 8583 5555.