The leader of Hertsmere Borough Council has suggested he is willing to spend thousands of pounds protecting parks across the borough from traveller encampments.
Councillor Morris Bright made the comments shortly after council officers and police dealt with more than a dozen caravans that had been parked in Aberford Park in Borehamwood.
Hertfordshire Constabulary secured an order under Section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act to force the travellers on from Aberford Park after "evidence of alleged criminal conduct".
Since 2019, the council had been able to deal quickly with encampments after securing a court injunction that allowed officers to immediately move travellers on from more than 100 council-owned sites across Hertsmere without having to go through the usual court process, which normally takes several days.
Caravans in Aberford Park last week. Credit: Cllr Glenn Briski
But following the incident in Aberford Park, the council revealed it had applied to withdraw the injunction after it was the subject of legal challenge by traveller communities.
After a spate of encampments in 2018, the council applied for the injunction and also took action to protect Ripon Park in Borehamwood, installing bollards around the park preventing vehicle access.
In a video from Ripon Park last week, Cllr Bright indicated the council would be willing to take similar action across other parks in the borough.
He explained that the council had worked "very quickly" with the police to move the travellers on from Aberford Park and reminded viewers of action that had been taken previously to install bollards in Ripon Way and Tempsford Avenue.
These bollards were installed in Ripon Park in Borehamwood in 2019 and Cllr Bright has suggested he'd be willing to take similar action around the rest of Hertsmere
He added: "It can be done, we can sort this out and if the court injunctions don’t work, we’ll find the money to sort this out as we did here (in Ripon Park). We spent £30,000 putting in wooden bollards. We don’t like to block off our parks if we don’t have to because people like to have free access, but it is important that we stop these traveller incursions and allow our parks to stay for the comfort and wellbeing of our residents.
"So for those who think nothing can be done, something can be done and it will be done, and we’re going to seek to address this problem as quick as we can."
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