Council uses powers granted by High Court to evict travellers from site in Barking

Barking and Dagenham Council made swift use of powers to remove travellers from a retail site in Barking.

Eight caravans and seven cars arrived on the Abbey Retail Park and on March 1 they were discovered alongside piles of waste.

The council applied for an Unlawful Encampment Injunction from the High Court to make it punishable by imprisonment to fly-tip or set up camp on land that isn’t yours.

Council officers agreed with the travellers that they would leave once weather conditions improved, and they had left by the following day.

Cllr Laila Butt, cabinet member for enforcement and community safety, said: “This is another example of the success that we are seeing in Barking and Dagenahm, when it comes to moving on people who have set up illegal encampments in the borough.

“The council will continue to work with the police to put an end to the serial fly-tipping and other unlawful behaviour that we often see on these sites, to make the borough a better place for all the residents who live and work here.”