Illegal encampments cost Hampshire councils almost £47,000 this summer

Local authorities in The News’ area revealed how much they have spent on clean ups, security measures and court fees since May this year after a slew of traveller encampments were set up in public spaces.

Portsmouth City Council was hit hardest, spending a total of almost £40,000, with the expectation that more preventative measures will be put in place to deter future camps.

The council confirmed it spent just over £13,000 since May this year to cover costs incurred by the encampments, including court fees, security and site clean ups.

On top of this an extra £24,600 was invested in security and preventative measures to deter future encampments - such as large boulders that were placed around Southsea Common in July.

SEE ALSO: Large boulders placed around Southsea Common to deter illegal encampments

Leader Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson said: 'These measures are absolutely essential. It's right we do all we can to stop the encampments.

'The problem we have got is often people will find a way to get round them. We used to have wooden bollards but people came with chainsaws.

‘When we’ve put rocks down people are ready to tow them away - which was why we needed larger ones. Unless we catch people in the act of doing it can't say who’s done it.

'I think what we are going to have to do in the future is to place earth bunds, which are piles of earth, around certain areas. It’s right we should protect these spaces.

‘Every year we spend a lot on illegal encampments.’

Since May, Portsmouth council attended six unauthorised encampments to conduct welfare assessments and site reports. This includes near Port Solent and on Southsea Common.

Of these two resulted in a court order being obtained, police action was taken in two cases, and two groups left voluntarily having been served a section 77 notice.

However, Tory group leader Cllr Donna Jones believed more needed to be done.

She said: ‘Illegal encampments cost the taxpayer money.

‘We have seen a spike in the number of illegal encampments in the city over the last 18 months. This isn’t good enough. More needs to be done.’

In Fareham the council was made aware of one encampment in that time – in Wicor Rec. The camp was removed by police, however, it still cost the council £3,300 to clean up the site.

Leader of Fareham Borough Council, Cllr Sean Woodward, said: ‘What is needed is for the government to make trespassing a criminal offence. If that was done as soon as they arrived, regardless of how they arrived, the police could remove them.

‘I have been campaigning for more than a decade for government to do this.

‘It's not just the cost to the public but the appalling job the workers have to do. At Wicor Rec they had to clear up 12 tonnes of waste in three working days.

‘There was fly-tipping and human excrement all over the place.’

Four major illegal encampments were set up in Havant this summer at a cost of £6,000 to the council.

Hampshire County Council told The News there had been 19 encampments on its land since May, however, no court action was taken. No information was available on the cost to the council.

Gosport Borough Council was approached for information on recent encampments.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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