A Nottinghamshire councillor says ‘national change’ needs to happen with traveller encampments after a Gedling park was used twice this summer.
Traveller caravans were spotted on the cricket field in Jubilee Park on Burton Road, Carlton, again this past week – the group has since moved from the spot, leaving on Tuesday, August 19.
This comes not long after the park had to be closed for inspection and cleaning following a Traveller encampment in June 2025.
At the time, Gedling Borough Council secured a court order requiring the Travellers to leave the park by midday on June 20.
Trent Valley Borough councillor Mike Adams (Con) said that he first became aware of the second encampment at the park on Friday, August 15 after a resident contacted him. He said the lock to the gate to the patch had been broken.
Cllr Adams said security for the park should be increased, but “national change” to legislation for Travellers needs to happen to allow councils the “immediate ability” to ask such groups to leave sites.
He said: “Whenever the borough council has [dealt with this issue], the [Traveller group] has found another way to get through the gates.
“A lot of gates are used by people who cut the grass, so they have to be there. It seems whatever measures [are in place], there does seem to be a way to get through them again.
“It’s hard to prevent access, it needs national change to legislation. They seem to park up, then an order gets issued and once it goes through they can be evicted.”
Cllr Adams added that by the time a court order goes through there is already “a lot of damage” to the space.
Cllr Adams says “remains of [human] excrement” have been found in bushes in such incidents.
Cllr Adams added: “These places are parks, it’s where kids are playing – it’s revolting.”
“Our teams work incredibly hard after the event. It’s not fair on the residents who use the park and those who clean up after them.”
Fellow Trent Valley councillor, Sam Smith (Con) said: “The concern is the mess they leave behind. It costs councils loads of money to put a portaloo in, checking the kids [in the Traveller group] have an education.”
He said the council needs to look at “alternative solutions” to prevent a similar occurrence as “whatever they’ve done so far isn’t working” adding: “Put boulders in the way of the access, diggings bunds, strengthening the locks – the council needs to look at those options now and I hope they do so.”
A Gedling Borough Council spokesperson confirmed: “The site has now been vacated [August 19] following a swift response from the council and Nottinghamshire Police.
“The council will now arrange a clean-up of the site and are investigating what measures can be taken to prevent further encampments on this site.”
They also confirmed the cost of the current clean-up was approximately £1,000.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was contacted for comment.
