TRAVELLERS who inhabited a village recreation ground left ten tonnes of rubbish – and a £6,000 bill – when they moved on.
Around 20 caravans spent three weeks at Hooley Recreation Ground, ignoring a Notice to Quit and only moving on when Reigate and Banstead Borough Council won a Possession Order from Croydon County Court to force eviction.
They moved to Brook Road Open Space in Merstham late last Tuesday, but left before the deadline for a second Notice to Quit expired, at 9am on Thursday.
The saga has left residents questioning why firmer action was not taken in Hooley – but the council says it is dependent on court schedules and police say they must have immediate evidence of disorder to take action.
Ward councillor Keith Foreman said: "Three weeks is a ridiculously long time to wait for what is effectively an illegal occupation to be cleared.
"I would question whether the police did enough to help us and I would also question why it takes so long to go to court.
"My understanding is that the council did everything it could as quickly as it could but the bureaucracy at Croydon just seems to take too long."
Neighbourhood sergeant Dan Gutierrez explained police could only have acted when the travellers initially moved in, but there was no immediate evidence of crime and disorder to justify that.
He said: "We have to consider the Human Rights Act.
"We have to consider the welfare of the children, of the families and whether it is proportionate and necessary to evict them there and then.
"It is difficult. It doesn't happen very often in this borough and it is difficult to get it right every time.
"We are going to be meeting with the council to review our processes to make it better next time."
Nic Martlew, the council's head of neighbourhood services, said 12 council employees spent two days clearing the Hooley rec.
He added: "In total ten tonnes of debris was cleared from the site at an estimated cost of £6,000.
"At Brook Road Open Space in Merstham, very little clear up was needed. As the ground conditions were dry, no damage was caused to either recreation ground.
"The gate to Hooley rec has been repaired and made secure.
"At Brook Road, a new field gate has been installed to replace the bollard that was removed and new bollards installed at the pedestrian entrance.
"New fencing has been installed at the corner of Portland Drive as a precautionary measure.
"We use bunds or low-level fencing at our sites where possible to try to stop unauthorised vehicles from gaining access, but even with preventative measures in place, if people are determined to access a site, with enough effort they often can."
