SPECIAL powers were granted to police to remove an unauthorised encampment from a council car park.
Officers in Winchester were given Section 61 powers after around 20 caravans pitched up on the Hampshire County Council car park on Bar End Road.
The order allows officers to direct people to leave the land and take any vehicles or property they have with them.
Failure to comply is a criminal offence.
READ MORE: Caravans leave Hampshire County Council car park in Winchester
The encampment was set up on Wednesday, April 12.
The order was enforced on Tuesday.
The travellers have since moved but litter has been left behind.
Acting Chief Inspector John Stribley said: “Hampshire Constabulary will always ensure that we balance the needs and rights of all our communities with actions that are proportionate, lawful and necessary.
“We work closely with landowners and our partners to ensure that a robust approach is taken against unauthorised encampments within legal parameters.
“Our partnership work also seeks to identify repeat locations where there has been criminality or disorder in order to target harden these sites.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article