Prime Minister urges police to take action on illegal Traveller encampments following arrivals at Peterborough park

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged police to use the powers available to them to move on illegal encampments in response to Travellers arriving at Bretton Park this week.

Peterborough MP Paul Bristow put forward a question in parliament on Wednesday afternoon, asking the prime minister to confirm that he expects police to use their increased powers to move on these encampments that “blight public spaces and parks in places like Peterborough.”

In July 2022, the government passed legislation to crack down on trespassers who set up camp illegally on other people’s land or in local communities.

Police are now allowed to ban trespassers from returning to a patch of land for a year, rather than just three months and the definition of harm was broadened to allow police to step in sooner and take more decisive action.

In response, Mr Sunak replied: “We absolutely recognise the misery that unauthorised encampments can can cause to local communities and that's why we’ve delivered on our manifesto commitment to give police the powers they need to tackle those people on unauthorised encampments, who are causing harm.

"How the police use these powers in an operational matter for chief constables but we wouldn’t have legislated for them if we didn’t expect them to use them.

"I am told that Home Office officials are liaising regularly with the National Police Chiefs Council on the exact matter.”

Mr Bristow has also called for an urgent meeting with the council to identify the hotspots for encampments and to draw up an action plan to prevent such groups gaining access illegally.

The group arrived on Bretton Park overnight on Monday/Tuesday (June 26/27) and fears have been raised- including by Mr Bristow in parliament- over the status of this Saturday’s Bretton Community Festival, which is due to take place on the park.

Peterborough City Council issued the group with a Section 77 eviction notice on Tuesday evening directing the encampment to leave by Thursday evening.