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Report an unauthorised Gypsy and Traveller site

An unauthorised site or encampment is where people set up home on land without the landowner's permission. This can be private or local authority land.

Private land

Contact your local council if:

  • you don't want the unauthorised encampment on your land
  • a landowner is not taking appropriate action against an encampment
  • you think a landowner is breaching planning or licensing regulations.

When to contact the police

Call the police on 101 to report criminal activity, or any unlawful and anti-social behaviour. Do not report trespass on private land to Kent Police.

Kent Police are able to deal with crime when there is a complaint and evidence to support it. You'll need to provide written evidence and agree to support any prosecution.

Unauthorised encampments on local authority land

To report an unauthorised encampment on district or borough council land, contact your local council.

To report an unauthorised encampment on our land, complete our online enquiry form.

Once land ownership has been established, we will visit the site at the earliest opportunity to check:

  • tidiness
  • the disruption to local residents' land and businesses
  • if it's obstructing highways or public rights of way
  • any activity the police may have had reports of
  • if there are any welfare and humanitarian issues.

We will request the encampment to move on and usually, we try to agree an acceptable deadline with the campers. Where our requests are not complied with, we will follow our process that complies with the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to evict, whilst complying with the Human Rights Act as part of our decision making.