EVERY year, travellers gravitate towards the coast.

But some set up illegal encampments and now Clacton MP Giles Watling has called for a change in the law to help police deal with these unauthorised camps.

Mr Watling has written to Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst to ask what more Essex Police can do in the face of a recent spate of unauthorised encampments in his constituency.

And he is seeking a change in the law to enable the illegal camps to be moved on.

Mr Hirst, in response, said: “One of my first actions as commissioner was to bring together all the relevant groups who handle unauthorised encampments to establish an agreed approach.

“I believe law abiding communities should not have to put up with illegal activity and I was frustrated by the inconsistent, and at times weak, response.

“As well as supporting the development of this shared approach the Chief Constable and I also established the Rural Engagement Team whose remit is to work with communities across Essex to tackle rural crime, including providing a robust and consistent approach to unauthorised encampments.”

The team, which was established in 2017, is due to double its size.

Mr Hirst added: “These two initiatives, the shared protocol and the establishment of the Rural Engagement Team, have resulted in a huge drop in unauthorised encampments across the county from 365 in 2017 to 201 in 2019, In the current year there have been just 65.

“This is real progress and demonstrates the seriousness with which we approach the matter.

“While many encampments are peaceful and law abiding, where this isn’t the case it is right that the police use their powers to move people on and also identify and tackle any criminal activity that is happening.

“The team are working hard to get the message across that Essex is not the place to come and commit crime.”

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Mr Watling said he has supported changes to the law that would make deliberate trespass a criminal offence.

He also backed the Government’s promise to introduce legislation which would give police the power to arrest and seize caravans if travellers set up camp on public land.

Mr Hirst also threw his support behind this proposal.

He added: “While at the moment I am confident that Essex Police are using the powers they have to their full effect, I no longer believe these powers are sufficient to deal with the unauthorised encampments in a way that the majority of the our communities would expect.

“During the recent Home Office consultations, I submitted a strong response supporting the criminalisation of trespass, as this change in law would simplify the current eviction process.

“It is my view that unless the police’s powers are significantly improved, and they are provided with the resources to implement these changes, the handling of these sites will fall short of the expectations of our communities.”

Mr Watling said he will be writing to the Home Secretary Witham MP Priti Patel to ask the necessary changes to be introduced as soon as possible.

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He added: “For years we have seen too many unauthorised encampments in our area.

“More needs to be done to prevent encampments in our area and it is not right that communities should have to deal with the costs, or the nuisance, caused by this illegality.

“We promised in our last manifesto to tackle these encampments, and even during this difficult national moment we must work to bring in this change before summer 2021.”