Travellers pitch up on ANOTHER leafy West London park: Caravans and cars move on to Ravenscourt Park next to millionaire’s homes – three days after being moved on from Kew Green
- Some 12 caravans and cars have pitched up in Ravenscourt Park, west London, after leaving Kew Gardens
- Comes after group left Kew Green, 3.7miles away, on Tuesday night before an eviction notice could be served
- Photographs showed cars towing caravans into Ravenscourt Park after a gate was broken into
A group of travellers have moved from one affluent west London park to another after they voluntarily left Kew Green hours before an eviction notice was served.
The 12 caravans and cars have pitched up in Ravenscourt Park, 3.7miles north of Kew, just three days after they were forced out of Kew Green on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, legal representatives from Richmond Council said it had been granted a three-month order banning travellers from returning to the Kew site. Because Ravenscourt Park is under the jurisdiction of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, another banning order will likely now have to be produced.
Photographs showed cars towing caravans into the park after members of the group broke into a gate that closed the area off to traffic.
Around a dozen vehicles are now parked in rows on the grass at the popular leafy park in west London, where the average house is worth £1.05million.
Metropolitan Police refused to comment when approached by MailOnline, and Hammersmith and Fulham District Council is yet to respond.
A Richmond Council spokesman previously said there was no damage to the green and rubbish left behind had been removed.
On Tuesday, a group of men drinking beer cans could be seen hacking away at a large oak tree with two machetes as they appeared to build a swing.
The 12 caravans and cars have pitched up in Ravenscourt Park, 3.7miles north of Kew, just three days after they were forced out of Kew Green on Tuesday night. Pictured left, the camp at Kew Green. Right, in Ravenscourt Park
On Wednesday, legal representatives from Richmond Council said it had been granted a three-month order banning travellers from returning to the Kew site. Because Ravenscourt Park is under the jurisdiction of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, another banning order will likely now have to be produced
Photographs showed cars towing caravans into the park after members of the group broke into a gate that closed the area off to traffic
Around a dozen vehicles are now parked in rows on the grass at the popular leafy park in west London
Young children in the camp were playing outside and riding bicycles, while mothers pushed babies around the park in prams as washing was hung out to dry from parked vehicles.
On Wednesday, local residents expressed their relief – and urged the council to keep the banning order in place.
Josie Allen, 56, said: ‘We are lucky there is no damage. I am pleased they’ve gone and do not want to see them back.’
A local shopkeeper said youths from the group had stolen from her convenience store and there were reports of youths fighting.
Meanwhile, the travellers themselves claimed they had been abused by motorists stuck in traffic on Kew Bridge.
The council was granted an order of possession by the High Court on Monday evening.
Kew Green is pictured after the group of travellers left on Tuesday night
Rubbish left behind after a group of travellers spent the bank holiday weekend on Kew Green in west London
A council spokesman said there was no damage to the green in the affluent west London park and that rubbish left behind had been removed
Walkers returned to the park Wednesday morning after the group of travellers, which included 12 caravans, finally departed
A council spokesman said: ‘A group of travellers who have been on Kew Green since Thursday have left the site, after swift legal action from Richmond Council resulted in a High Court decision to give the Council powers to evict them.
‘The travellers voluntarily left yesterday evening (Tuesday) and Council officers were on site immediately to inspect for damage. The group left some bags of rubbish, which Council contractors cleared early this morning. No damage has been caused to the site.
‘Although the travellers have now left, the Council will still serve the Order of Possession today, which is valid for three months.’
Cllr Julia Neden-Watts, Chair of the Environment, Sustainability, Culture and Sports Committee, added: ‘Thanks to our prompt action last week we were able to get a court hearing as soon as possible after the Bank Holiday, which has resulted in a Possession Order and the traveller group voluntarily leaving the site before we were required to evict them.
‘In this instance we did not have the same power we have had in recent years, following a High Court order earlier this month which denied the Council’s request to extend the previous expedited injunction process.
‘We moved as quickly as legally possible to ensure that the travellers could be moved on from Kew Green and we hope that this swift action deters this group from returning and others from coming to the borough.
‘I would like to thank Police, our Parkguard officers and our cleansing team who have been on site since Thursday to monitor the site and clear any waste left in the area.’
The travellers arrived last Thursday afternoon, and as soon as the council were notified, officers visited to conduct welfare checks and site assessment and request they move on. The group, however, did not co-operate.
The council issued a legal notice of the hearing date on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, the group continued to refuse to leave.
Security guards had been patrolling the green which is just an eight-minute walk from popular attraction Kew Gardens and is surrounded by properties valued at an average of £2million each.
Police were also monitoring the situation after complaints from local residents that a local alleyway was being used as a toilet.
One bare chested man among the group said earlier this week: ‘We will leave when we want.’
The group is pictured during the time they pitched up at Kew Green last Thursday
A woman stands on the phone next to a collection of bin bags after travellers left a huge amount of rubbish over the weekend
Despite being asked to move on Friday, the group showed no signs of leaving as they walked around Kew Green
A young man driving a BMW on the site has a chat with another as the council steps up its efforts to remove the group
Three men enjoy a smoke as the pressure mounted following the group’s arrival in the affluent park late last week
A man and a woman at the site on Tuesday, despite the growing efforts from council chiefs to evict the group of travellers
A traveller’s car performs donuts (pictured left and right) in the middle of Kew Green
The council promised to repair any damage to the green as well as dispose of dozens of black rubbish sacks
Neighbours were upset with the amount of rubbish left by the travellers since they first arrived last Thursday
A woman folds a pram over the grass as the travellers continued to stay on Kew Green in Richmond, West London
A group of men gathered on Kew Green in West London on Tuesday as the travellers refused to leave amid a stand-off with the council
Travellers continue to stay on the site at Kew Green in West London as Richmond Council tried to evict them
Local residents said on Tuesday how they hoped the eviction – were it to come to that – would go smoothly.
One told MailOnline: ‘We just want them gone. What gives them the right to take over the Green? Fortunately there has been no trouble but they will not be taking their rubbish with them so someone has to pay to clear that up.’
The council had promised to repair any damage to the green as well as dispose of dozens of black rubbish sacks.
Residents in the upmarket neighbourhood who would normally be enjoying picnics in the warm weather say they have been forced instead to remain indoors over the weekend.
Security guards who had been patrolling the green kept a low profile ahead of the court hearing.
One local said she caught a teenager from the traveller camp trying to steal her neigbour’s vintage Triumph motorcycle.
Sophie Hunter, 51, said: ‘I caught the lad sitting on the bike and trying to walk it away down the road.
‘I shouted out to him and told him that he couldn’t do that and he tried to argue that it was his motorbike. It was only when I started trying to film him that he got off.
‘I called the police but they didn’t send an officer down and haven’t called me back. In fact the police have been scarce since the travellers arrived last week. It’s caused a lot of upset locally because on a day such as this you’d get people sitting on the green, families would play games and have picnics.
‘But the travellers have ringed the space with their caravans and are very intimidating. A few of them have given a friend of mine some verbals for asking them to turn their generators off.
‘It’s a shame because it’s the nicest weekend weather we’ve had in quite some time. Apparently a few people have used an alley between some of the houses as a toilet and a few of the kids have been seen going through people’s allotments.
‘I have to say I’ve avoided going on the green altogether, I usually walk my dogs across there but I’ve taken the long way around today. I’m worried there might be broken glass on the grass from where they’ve been drinking out of bottles and I don’t want the dogs’ feet to be cut.
‘This is a conservation area and to get anything past planning from Richmond council takes a miracle…unless you turn up mob handed and plonk a load of caravans in the heart of the community.’
A woman walks on the grass at Kew Green in West London yesterday as the travellers continue to stay on the site
A girl pushed a baby in a pram at Kew Green in West London on Tuesday as the travellers continued to stay in the area
Two shirtless men walked on the grass at Kew Green in West London on Tuesday
A security guard patrolled Kew Green on Tuesday as Richmond Council continues to try to evict the travellers from the site
A man looked inside a caravan on Tuesday as the travellers continued to stay on Kew Green in an affluent part of West London
A man washed his hair outside a caravan on Tuesday as the travellers stayed on the site at Kew Green in West London
Groups of bare chested men were seen soaking up the sun drinking cans as children cycled on the green on Tuesday. Families had opened car doors on vehicles parked next to their caravans to use as makeshift washing lines.
There were piles of rubbish bags placed neatly by the bins with very little litter strewn across the green.
Local resident Jane Walker, 45, said she would normally take her three-year-old son to Kew Green to play but felt too intimidated. he said: ‘I don’t want to be that person, but I’m too worried about going on there at the moment with the older teenagers hanging around.
‘I’d normally take my son over to the green and maybe kick a ball about it but I’ve stayed at home today instead. The travellers have kind of taken over the community space. I hope they aren’t going to be there much longer.’
A couple, who have lived in the area since 1974 but declined to give their names, were walking past on Wednesday. The man said: ‘We haven’t had travellers on the green for years and years and I hope it doesn’t become a regular thing.
‘I know some travellers used to pitch up on land near to the National Archive but the council put bollards and gates there a few years ago and they haven’t been back since. Perhaps that needs to be done here but it wouldn’t be that pleasing on the eye to surround the green with fencing.
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