Court order won to move travellers in Walsall
Walsall Council has obtained a court order to move on a group of travellers following complaints they were causing nuisance and leaving dogs on the loose.
Around 20 people had expressed concerns to the authority after 12 caravans arrived at a plot next to King Georges Crescent in Rushall over the weekend.
Enforcement officers went to the site on Monday and found there were no welfare issues among the travelling community. The next day they served a notice requesting the occupants to leave immediately.
A court summons was issued 24 hours later.
Yesterday morning, council officers applied for a court order giving them greater powers to evict the travellers which was granted by Walsall Magistrates' Court.
A council spokesman said: "We have received 20 complaints from members of the public following the unauthorised encampment about loose dogs, people defecating in the bushes and other nuisance taking place from people at the site."
The council had intended to apply for a second order to remove an illegal traveller encampment at Barnes Lane in Rushall but moments before yesterday's hearing, officers were informed that the caravans had moved on.
Travellers caused uproar earlier this year when 14 caravans appeared in May in Walsall Wood on the site where Oak Park Leisure Centre is being built.
Despite the recent incidents figures show the number illegal encampments in the borough has reduced by two thirds in the last 12 months.