New travellers camp is forced to leave Walsall site

Caravans settled on a site in Mill Street, Walsall, yards from where a similar camp was set up earlier this year.

Walsall Magistrates Court was told that Walsall Council was alerted to the unauthorised encampment, near homes and a mosque, on April 11.

The land is owned by the council but licensed to a third party.

Officers attended the site on the afternoon of April 19 and served an initial notice, requiring that one caravan and a vehicle should leave the land.

Licensing enforcement officer Mark Wilson, giving evidence, told the court that another caravan arrived at the site on Thursday, leading to a second notice being served.

A court summons was served on an occupier of a single caravan a day later, but they did not attend yesterday's hearing.

Mr Wilson said he revisited the site at 8am yesterday, and there had been one caravan remaining on the land.

Magistrates said they were satisfied with the application, and the authority was granted an enforcement order, allowing the travellers to be immediately removed from the site.

Travellers also settled on a car park in Mill Street, Ryecroft, in January, with the landowners, Walsall Housing Group, then forced to issue a notice.

There have also been camps set up in Goscote Lodge Crescent, Walsall, and Chester Road North, Brownhills, this year.

Recent figures showed that councils spent more than £60,000 moving on travellers in the West Midlands region last year.

The largest amount was spent by Sandwell Council, which paid £55,933 in 2011-12 for site security, legal fees and moving waste.

Walsall Council spent £6,600 on bollards and a special grass mound to stop potential incursions, while Wolverhampton City Council spent £1,075 in 2011-12 on legal fees to get the families moved on.

Dudley Council spent £5,000 on clean-up fees after an eviction at a site in Bagley Street in 2010-11.