In 1970, the Government of the time passed a law that meant local authorities were obliged to provide caravan sites for travellers when they were staying in the area. Today, landowners retain the right to use the ancient remedy of Common Law to remove travellers from their property, but it is wise to obtain assistance from highly-experienced professionals if an eviction does need to take place to avoid a breach of the peace and reduce the chances of causing injuries and damage to property.
Is trespassing illegal?
It is important to note that trespassing is a civil wrong rather than a criminal offence, so it is unlikely that a traveller will be arrested and charged for appearing on your property. Even if they are charged, the chances of them serving a substantial prison sentence are incredibly low. You are only entitled to use “reasonable force” to remove a trespasser, though this can be risky, and you could be arrested yourself if you do cause an injury to a traveller.
How we can help
At Collect My Debt, we have years of experience when it comes to removing travellers from private land peacefully, in a professional manner. We can normally act on the same day we receive your instruction and can help you avoid time-consuming court orders and fees of up to £5,500. We always carry out risk assessments before evictions take place and follow health and safety procedures to the letter. Our substantial manpower and resources enable us to clear your site in a minimal timeframe and restore your peace of mind.
Eviction processes
From time-to-time, we do enlist the support of the police, who may advise us to delay the eviction for safety reasons. It is never wise to ignore police advice, as you could find yourself on the wrong side of the law. We are able to offer two processes: the 24-hour self-help notice and the 2-4 hour self-help eviction notice. With the former, we can ask trespassers to vacate your property before forceful action is taken. With the former, we can remain on site to manage the process of packing and vacation. However, it is not always possible to clear the site within four hours, and our Certified Enforcement Agents may need up to 12 hours to remove property with tow trucks.
Keeping you informed
It’s worth noting that some trespassers are very co-operative and will leave your site as soon as we serve a notice. If this is the case, all you will need to cover is the cost of the notice being served and the fee for our attendance. When we arrive on your site, a full detailed report will be produced, and this will include information about the trespassers’ behaviours, how many travellers are present and details about vehicles. We will e-mail the report to you and send real-time updates to keep you completely up to speed. We are also able to offer in-depth advice about preventing trespassing in the future and make suggestions on improving the security of your site. To find out more about removing trespassers from private land, call 0800 612 5161 or send an e-mail to info@collectmydebt.co.uk. You can also get in touch via the website.