Press Release

10 October  2005

Paice Proposes Robust Action On Illegal Encampments 

Jim Paice, MP for South East Cambridgeshire and Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs, has tabled a new clause to the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill that would make trespass a criminal offence if accepted by the Government – giving police robust powers to deal with illegal traveller sites.

Mr Paice said: “Illegal traveller encampments cause substantial damage to land, public amenities and local communities across many parts of the country but the police and local authorities are almost powerless in dealing with them. This leads to frustration and anger among local residents who often find themselves having to bear the considerable costs of litigation and clean-up operations through increases in council tax. 

“Converting trespass from a civil to a criminal offence would save local residents and land owners the costs of having to pay to evict travellers from their land and would give the police a fast track system to remove illegal occupiers. 

“The measure has worked in the Republic of Ireland and should be introduced here to control the proliferation of unauthorised traveller sites.”

The proposed new law would make it a criminal offence for any person to enter and occupy land or place any object on the land without the owner's consent where this was likely to substantially damage the land or any amenity in relation to the land, prevent anyone entitled to use the land from making reasonable use of it, or render the use of the land unsanitary. Under the proposal failure to comply with the new law could lead to fines or imprisonment for up to one month.
Mr Paice continued: “Unintended trespass would not be affected as the criminal offence would only apply when unathorised entry and occupation is likely to damage the land or affect any amenity to do with the land. This isn’t about criminalising wayward walkers but protecting our open spaces from travellers who currently flout the law with seeming impunity.”