Police use full powers to force Travellers at Peterborough park to move on

Cambridgeshire Police has confirmed that it has used the full extent of the powers it has available to move on the Traveller encampment at Bretton Park.

The group gained access to the site overnight on Monday/Tuesday. Police officers have been regularly attending the site since then and have now issued a Section 60 notice to the group- which required them to leave by 5pm on Thursday and not return to the same location within 12 months

A statement from the force said: “Following the monitoring of an unauthorised encampment in Bretton and multiple visits by police and council officers over the last three days, our neighbourhood policing team have issued a section 60 notice under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 – requiring the encampment to move on by 5pm this evening, and not return to the same location within the next 12 months.

“Failure to comply with the order is a criminal offence which could result in arrest and seizure of vehicles.

!Our officers will attend the site again to ensure the encampment has moved from the area and take any further action where necessary.”

The group had already been served a section 77 eviction notice by Peterborough City Council and MP Paul Bristow even raised the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday asking Rishi Sunak to encourage police to use the full extent of their powers.