Councillor promises changes after illegal traveller encampment leaves football field near Chesterfield trashed

The community was left upset after travellers trashed a football pitch off The Avenue – with reports of burnt grass patches, fly-tipped waste and human waste scattered across the grass.

Councillor Ross Shipman, who represents Tupton ward at North East Derbyshire District Council, has issued an update on action set to be taken to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

This comes after a special meeting involving North East Derbyshire District Council, Derbyshire police and the landowner was held to discuss the next steps.

Commenting on the meeting, Cllr Shipman, who has been campaigning for improvements since the encampment was set up, said: “I raised my concern that I felt the landowner was slow out of the gates in addressing the encampment.

"There were also issues around being able to contact the Land Trust over the weekend.

"I’m pleased that a clear line of communication has now been established so that, should anything happen again, there is a much quicker route to getting the right people involved.

"One of the things I pushed for was having a letter template ready to go for landowners across the district, which can be issued on the same day an illegal encampment arrives, whether that is on private or public land.

"The police have now produced a template for this. This is important because it means the necessary paperwork can be dealt with immediately, allowing officers to use Section 61 powers as soon as the other legal criteria have been met.”

Derbyshire police confirmed that no arrests were made in regards to the damage caused and Cllr Shipman has also campaigned for improvement in gathering evidence to help officers take action in similar situations.

He said: “I asked whether the police and district council could do more to investigate offences taking place around illegal encampments.

"I suggested the use of a Community Action Network (CAN) Van positioned near entrances where appropriate, allowing evidence to be gathered around vehicles entering and leaving, what they are carrying, fly-tipping and other potential offences."

Cllr Shipman added that while Derbyshire police were aware of residents’ concerns in regards to damage caused, officers did not witness the offences.

He added: “Unfortunately, officers did not witness this behaviour during any of their attendances, and the powers require officers to witness the offending first-hand.”

Cllr Shipman has also passed on evidence relating to an alleged fly-tipping offender linked to the encampment.

He said: “I hope it will ultimately assist in securing a prosecution.”

"Environmental Health officers have agreed to look into this.”

Work to re-open the sports grounds are currently underway after the community came together to raise over £2 000 to cover repair costs, Cllr Shipman highlighted the importance of securing the site to prevent the football pitches from being targeted again.

He said: “Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has confirmed that additional locks and chains have been left with partners so the site can be secured even outside normal working hours if necessary.

"The Land Trust is also going to explore what additional physical security can be installed at The Avenue, creating more obstacles and making the site more difficult to target in future.”

Cllr Shipman has also called for a district-wide approach and confirmed that North East Derbyshire District Council was collating a list of sites across the district which could be affected by an illegal encampment.

Speaking to landowners, he appealed: “If you own a significant-sized piece of land and would be willing to provide details of the land and its location so that you can be contacted quickly if an illegal encampment occurs, please get in touch.

"The hope is that having this information readily available will allow a much quicker response when these situations arise.”

The district council is also exploring the possibility of introducing a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) covering some of the district’s known encampment hotspots.

This could make certain activities a criminal offence within the designated areas and potentially allow the police to take action quickly without the circumstances having to meet the Section 61 threshold.

Cllr Shipman added: The aim of all of this is simple, make The Avenue, and other vulnerable sites across the district, a much less attractive place to set up an illegal encampment.

“There is no single magic solution.

"It requires landowners, the district council, the police, environmental health, wildlife organisations and other partners to all do their bit.

"I’ll continue pushing to make sure these aren’t just warm words and good intentions, but that the actions discussed actually happen – and that everyone involved is held accountable for doing their part.

"The community deserves nothing less.”