Luton starts legal process over Travellers encampment, says no connection to Dale Farm

Luton Borough Council has started the legal process for evicting a group of Travellers from an encampment set up at the town’s Stockwood Park.

But the local authority insisted that – contrary to media reports – there was “no evidence to suggest that they [the Travellers] came from Dale Farm”.

In a statement Luton said: “We were made aware of the encampment at Stockwood Park on Monday and immediately started the standard legal procedure for eviction. We expect to move them on very soon. The target is seven working days assuming that there are no other complications.”

Earlier this week Travellers at Dale Farm won a last-minute – but possibly temporary – reprieve after a High Court judge granted an injunction preventing Basildon Council from undertaking any physical measures to secure compliance with its outstanding planning enforcement notices.

The injunction, issued by Mr Justice Edwards-Stuart following a ‘without notice’ application by a Dale Farm resident, will remain in place until a hearing on Friday. Basildon had intended to begin the eviction and site clearance process this week after a ten-year legal battle.