The majority of Travellers who had been at Dane Park since August 4 have moved today (August 12) to the Oval lawns at Eastern Esplanade.
Some of the group were previously at Tivoli park,
Two Traveller motorhomes at the Westcliff in Ramsgate have also left.
Welfare checks are due to be carried out ‘imminently’ with a further group at the Marina Esplanade car park on Ramsgate seafront. say Thanet council.
A court order for removal in regard to the Dane Park families was secured on Friday with bailiffs set to move in today if needed.
Some 16 caravans were at the site but most have now vacated with around five remaining. Around 11 are now at the Oval. The football pitch at Dane Park has suffered some damage and discarded rubbish now needs to be cleared. Padlocks at the goal areas have been broken and human waste has been left at the site.
An action plan is being developed by Thanet council to deal with the growing number of unauthorised Traveller encampments in the district.
A working group has been set up to investigate the issue and look at areas including Traveller accommodation, security measures and increased enforcement at high risk areas.
An update from the council’s Travellers Review sub committee is due on October 22. The Overview and Scrutiny committee meeting will take place at the council offices in Cecil Street from 7pm. Members of the public may attend.
Unauthorised camps have risen from two in 2013 to 50 last year. The latest move to the bandstand brings this year’s unauthorised camps to 41.
There are currently no authorised pitches in Thanet district. The nearest pitches are in Dover and Canterbury.
A report commissioned by Thanet council says the district should provide five Traveller pitches -to accommodate 10 caravans – in the five year period up to 2022 and then an additional two pitches – equating to four more caravans- by 2031.
A spokesman from the Friends, Families and Travellers organisation has previously told The Isle of Thanet News that a lack of official sites is forcing groups to pull up on public land and not enough is being done to address that issue.
