Call for police to 'continue to use their powers' as 4th unauthorised camp moves into Ortons in a month

There has been a call for police to ‘continue to use their powers’ to move on unauthorised traveller camps in the city after a group of caravans moved onto land in the Ortons for the fourth time in a month.

The group has moved onto land in Orton Brimbles overnight – the fourth time travellers have set up in the area in the past month.

There have been calls from Peterborough MP Paul Bristow for Cambridgeshire Police to use more powers to move unauthorised and illegal camps on, after a number of issues in Werrington in the past few weeks.

While the Ortons are not part of Mr Bristow’s ward, cllr Stevenson echoed the calls for police to take action.

She said: “You can imagine the frustration residents of my ward feel as there has been little respite over the past few weeks.

"However, I have learned that the police did (for the first time in several years) use their powers (Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994) to evict a group from a recent unauthorised encampment in Werrington.

"We need the police to continue to use their powers consistently as the disruption that has accompanied these recent encampments has caused a lot of distress to local communities.

"Moreover, the issue of where groups can legally encamp clearly needs more consideration."

Cambridgeshire Police confirmed they had used section 60 powers to move a group of travellers on in Werrington recently. The force spokesperson added that officers were due to conduct a site visit today (May 24), and were working closely with Peterborough City Council on the issue.

Mr Bristow has called for a meeting with police regarding the issue with travellers, and has called on them to use new powers under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act 2022, introduced last year, which means people caught breaching conditions of the act can face a prison sentence of up to three months, a fine of up to £2,500 or seizure of vehicles.

Police have said they will ‘respond appropriately to cases based on the individual circumstances.’