TRAVELLERS have been told to leave a Huddersfield car park by tomorrow.
Bailiffs yesterday ordered the group to leave Cambridge Road Car Park – with taxpayers likely to be hit with an £800 bill for the eviction.
Travellers in four caravans and three wagons moved on to the site near the town centre eight days ago.
Kirklees Council, which owns the car park, is trying to get the group removed.
A spokesman said yesterday: “The council has today been granted the possession order.
“The council has issued the warrant with the county court bailiffs, who will visit the site today and instruct the travellers to leave.
“The travellers will be given 48 hours to vacate the site. Should they fail to vacate the land voluntarily arrangements are being made for the group to be forcibly evicted.”
Kirklees also revealed yesterday that 19 groups of travellers have been evicted from council-owned land since April 2010 at an average cost of £795.
Mirfield Conservative Clr Martyn Bolt called for the group at Cambridge Road to be charged for using the car park.
But the council spokesman said this would complicate the eviction.
“Kirklees Council has not given permission for the travellers to enter or remain on the land and therefore they are treated as ‘trespassers’.
“If the council charged the travellers for parking their motor vehicles on the car park, this would be authorising their stay on the land,” he said.
“Therefore the council would not be able to proceed for possession on the basis that the travellers were trespassing on council land.”
But Clr Bolt insisted that the travellers should have to pay for using the car park.
“Parking restrictions should apply to anybody,” he said.
“If vehicles are parked there they should be paying for the period they are in there. This seems like double standards.
“I’m a great believer in the law and I think everyone should be treated fairly.
“There shouldn’t be exceptions and preferential treatment, especially during these tough economic times for the council”.
