Travellers Occupy Dukes Meadows for a Week
Council says it has served notices on large encampment
The encampment on Dukes Meadows on Friday evening
August 19, 2023
A group of travellers have spent a week on Dukes Meadows despite Hounslow Council initiating attempts to remove them.
An initial encampment was set up on Sunday (13 August) with about six caravans and caravanettes arriving. Over the course of the week this increased to around nine with vehicles regularly coming and going.
They are situated at the end of the green space closest to the allotments. The council was notified immediately of their presence.
The council says the encampment has already been served the relevant notices but was still there this Saturday (19 August).
A number of other traveller encampments have appeared across the borough in recent weeks including one in the Tesco car park at Osterley.
A smaller group of travellers set up camp on Chiswick Back Common on 1 August but were gone in just over 24 hours after eviction notices were served.
One local resident contacted us to say, “They have been arriving in this area for decades around this time of year. I think it is to do with the race meets at Kempton Park, Ascot and Sandown Park. Measures are taken to discourage them and sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. This latest lot seems to be a larger group than normal which could be because other sites are being closed off to them.”
Councillor Ajmer Grewal, Cabinet Member for Safety and Regulatory Services, said, “We are currently experiencing a large number of incursions in the borough, which is not uncommon for this time of year. This issue is treated as high priority, and resources are diverted accordingly. Officers in the enforcement team work 7 days a week and will attend an encampment as soon as we are notified of their arrival.
“When a traveller encampment arrives in the borough on public land, officers from the Council are required to undertake welfare assessments of those on site, and ascertain whether there are any needs in terms of welfare and if necessary make appropriate referrals to key partners. We work closely with our colleagues and the police who will also attend site and issue those present with a Code of Conduct.
“As and when eviction is required, there is a legal process that must be followed, including ascertaining documentation from the magistrates court. This can take approximately a week to complete with a court hearing, and in some cases the council may need to enlist the services of bailiffs in order to move an encampment on.
“Any concerns regarding criminality associated with a traveller encampment should be reported to the police either via 101 or in an emergency via 999.”
Residents can report illegal encampments to Hounslow Council by calling 020 8583 5555.
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