Travellers broke into the Council owned grassed area off Hightown Road on Friday. They have refused all requests to leave.  So the Council has to get court order to get the travellers from the site which they are using illegally.

The Council submitted an application to a judge at Dewsbury County Court yesterday afternoon.  The court procedures dictate that a minimum  notice period of two clear days is required between the application and the court hearing.

However, in this case the Council also made a separate application to the court for swifter action on the basis that the land was required for recreation, the Travellers had forced entry to the land, and the Council had received further reports of damage to trees on the site and flytipping. In these circumstances the judge at Dewsbury County Court accepted the application. The hearing will therefore take place tomorrow 13 July at 10am at Dewsbury County Court.

 On the assumption that the Council will be granted the Possession Order, the Council officers are already liaising with the police and county court bailiffs with a view to evicting on Friday. The County Court Bailiffs enforce the Court Order and are required to give a minimum 24 hours notice of an eviction.

I know that the travellers have already done some damage to the trees on the site; that they are playing loud music late into the night; that their generators are a noise nuisance; and that there is alreeady a lot of uncollected rubbish on the site. Unfortunately, evicting the travellers from the site is bound by the law and that takes time.