Littlehampton councillor’s urgent plea for laws to change

Dr Walsh, who represents Littlehamton East, said he hopes to see a change in legislation which would speed up the eviction process of travellers pitching up without permission on parks across the district.

It follows a successful bid by Arun District Council to obtain a court order to regain possession of The Green, which had been the base for more than 20 travellers since last Tuesday (July 23) – who are now camped elsewhere in the town.

Dr Walsh explained: “There needs to be a change in the law as a matter of urgency. Often, it takes a week or more to get the wheels moving and have the travellers moved from the land – this is far too long.

“I will be lobbying our MP to see that this happens.”

Dr Walsh is also appealing for more protection for Arun-owned green spaces and is urging Arun to address the lack of specific transit sites for travellers passing through the area.

As the Gazette went to press on Wednesday (July 31), two groups of about dozen travellers were occupying the Rosemead open space, in Littlehampton, and grassland by HiTek Power Ltd, in Hawthorn Road, Wick.

Dr Walsh added: “This just reflects the clear need for a change in legislation.

“Travellers are taking the town and the community for a complete ride knowing that they can move from one site to the next, staying there for a week or more.”

Groups are both occupying land not owned by Arun. Rosemead is owned by the Littlehampton Town Council while the HiTek owns the grassland in Wick. Both organisations are pursuing action to remove the travellers, Arun said.

In response to Dr Walsh, an Arun spokeswoman said that in April, the council had completed an assessment to determine the future needs of the traveller community.

She added that the authority needed to create 18 sites, over a 15-year period, and that the council will be carrying out a further investigation to identify where these plots could be situated.

A police spokesman said the force has limited powers to deal with the situation, adding it ‘often responds to calls when travellers are entering or have already entered land, however, unless there is a specific order in place for the land which prohibits entry, police do not ordinarily have a power to prevent entry’.