Travellers on Stroud Green

Last night a group of ten travellers’ caravans pulled onto Stroud Green in Greenham, despite the wooden posts that surround the Green.

Local councillor Julian Swift-Hook was in touch with the Police straight away, and the Police attended promptly last night.

Specialist officers from West Berkshire Council (the landowner) visited the illegal encampment early this morning to serve Directions – the first step in the legal process of removing the travellers – requiring the travellers to leave by Thursday morning.

If the travellers do not comply then the next step will be for the Council to lay a complaint before the Magistrates Court in Reading, hopefully on Thursday but depending on the availability of slots at the court.

The question of how effective are the wooden bollards that surround the Green and whether West Berkshire Council has maintained them properly will be addressed by local councillors once the travellers have left.

The police and the council say that if local people leave the travellers alone then problems (other than the obvious one of the travellers’ unauthorised presence) are unlikely.  In the event that problems are encountered, local people are advised to call 101, quoting reference 1383 of 14/5/2018.