Check the authority
We establish who owns or controls the land, who may instruct and whether consent or another occupation right may exist.
Unauthorised occupation of land · England and Wales
Traveller Eviction Bailiffs & Trespasser Removal
Planned, risk-assessed removal of unauthorised occupiers from private, commercial and council land. We check authority and the appropriate route before notice, attendance and managed site clearance.
Our operational target is initial attendance within two hours of accepting a complete instruction, subject to location, checks and agent availability.
2-hour target
Initial attendance after an instruction is checked and accepted
72 clearances
Recorded across the published 2026 instruction dataset
55 on day one
Recorded clearances completed on the first day
England & Wales
Support for landowners, agents, businesses and public bodies
The first decision
What is happening on the land?
The correct response depends on the land, the occupants, how occupation began, any permission previously given and the authority available to the client.
UK Bailiffs supports private landowners, businesses, managing agents, developers and local authorities with traveller encampments and other unauthorised occupation. Before deployment, we review the site, apparent legal status, access, known risks, vehicles, animals, welfare information and the outcome required.
Keep your distance.
Send only information already known or safely available. Do not approach an encampment, enter the occupied area or take new photographs for us. Existing images or plans can be supplied where they were obtained safely and lawfully.
A controlled operational response
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From site assessment to documented handover
Each stage is planned around the facts on the ground, not a fixed script.
Review the risks
Numbers, vehicles, access, previous incidents, animals, hazards and known vulnerabilities inform the deployment plan.
Select the route
We consider whether a managed common-law attendance appears suitable or whether court or statutory action is preferable.
Attend and engage
Agents identify themselves, explain the landholder's position and seek a controlled voluntary departure where practicable.
Manage departure
Time to leave, vehicle movements, safety, escalation limits and any changed circumstances are managed on site.
Report and secure
The client receives the available attendance record and can arrange security, cleaning or further legal steps separately.
Strategy before strength
A proportionate team, not unnecessary escalation
Many sites are resolved through clear communication and a small, experienced team. Additional agents, recovery vehicles, security or specialist support are introduced only where the assessment shows they are necessary and proportionate.
Calm, clear engagement
Site-specific risk planning
Proportionate resources
Recorded decisions and outcome
Action is based on unauthorised occupation—not identity. Equality, welfare and safeguarding information is considered as part of planning and on-site decision-making.
The operational sequence
How an instruction progresses
The two-hour target concerns initial attendance after acceptance. It is not a promise of clearance within two hours and does not replace a reasonable opportunity for occupants to leave.
01
Assessment
Site facts, urgency and objective reviewed.
02
Authority
Ownership, management and instruction checked.
03
Deployment
Agents, access and risk controls agreed.
04
Attendance
Identity, position and required departure explained.
05
Departure
Movement from the land managed and monitored.
06
Handover
Outcome recorded and next protection steps agreed.
Three separate timings
Attendance is not the same as departure or clearance
The service is designed to move quickly, but each timing describes something different. Keeping them separate avoids unrealistic promises and protects a controlled outcome.
Initial attendance
Our target is to attend within two hours after the instruction is complete, checked and accepted. Distance, availability, risks and required resources can affect the confirmed arrival time.
Reasonable time to leave
Occupants are told the landholder's position and given a reasonable opportunity to leave. The appropriate period depends on the site, circumstances, vehicles, welfare issues and safe movement.
Site clearance
Same-day clearance is often the objective, but it is not guaranteed. Refusal, changed circumstances, additional occupants, hazards or an unsuitable route can require reattendance or court action.
If the site does not clear voluntarily
What happens if the occupants refuse to leave?
Refusal does not trigger an automatic or uncontrolled escalation. The team reassesses the facts and works within the authority and limits agreed for the instruction.
Depending on the circumstances, the next step may be further engagement, a managed reattendance, additional proportionate resources, police liaison where the police consider attendance appropriate, or a recommendation that the landholder starts possession proceedings.
Dynamic risk assessment continues throughout attendance.
Weapons, dogs, fire, sharps, medical emergencies, increased numbers or heightened confrontation can require a revised plan, additional support or withdrawal.
Published operational record
Most recorded clearances concluded within three days
The published 2026 dataset records 72 instructions and 72 clearances: 55 on day one, 16 on days two or three, and one after day three.
These figures were previously published without a specified cut-off date and are not presented as live year-to-date data. A clearance can involve different routes and circumstances. Past outcomes do not guarantee timing or success in a new instruction.
72
Recorded instructions
72
Recorded clearances
55
Cleared on day one
16
Cleared on days two–three
Route and responsibility
The legal route depends on the facts
There is no universal process for every unauthorised occupation. Authority, land type, consent, occupants, buildings, vehicles and confrontation risk all matter.
Managed common-law route
May be available to a person entitled to possession where genuine trespassers occupy open land. Occupants must be given a reasonable opportunity to leave; what is reasonable depends on the circumstances.
Court possession route
Proceedings under Civil Procedure Rule Part 55 may be preferable where status, authority, access, buildings, prior permission or confrontation risk is uncertain.
Police or council powers
Police and public authorities have distinct statutory powers and duties. UK Bailiffs cannot exercise police powers, and police attendance is a decision for the police.
Vehicles and belongings require separate thought.
A vehicle or item left on land is not automatically abandoned. Removal, storage, notice and disposal may require a separate legal basis and specialist arrangements.
Deployment and pricing
The team and cost are agreed before attendance
There is no responsible flat price for every traveller or trespasser site. The required response is built around the actual location, scale and risk.
Cost can be affected by distance, urgency, number of occupants and vehicles, access, previous incidents, agent numbers, attendance duration and whether recovery vehicles, locksmiths, K9 security, guarding or specialist contractors are required.
Before deployment, we confirm the proposed route, resources, charging basis and immediate objective. Additional work caused by material changes on site is discussed wherever circumstances allow.
Free landholder resource
Download the Traveller Eviction Service Guide
A practical eight-page overview of initial assessment, authority, route selection, deployment, attendance, site clearance and the information clients should provide.
Related occupation and land services
Use the service that matches the situation
Specific circumstances can require a different assessment, legal route or operational plan.
Occupied vans Van dwellers, campervans and motorhomes
Rough sleepers Occupied tents and rough sleeping on private land
Site security Protect the land after clearance
Abandoned vehicles Investigation, notice and removal support
Illegally grazing horses Notice, welfare-aware handling and removal support
After the occupiers leave
Clearance is only part of recovering the site
The handover should leave the client with a clear record, a secure boundary and a plan for any vehicles, goods, waste or hazards remaining on the land.
Attendance record and material site updates
Vehicle and belongings assessment
Needle sweep and specialist clean-up
Locks, barriers, boarding or shutters
Manned guarding, K9 or patrols
Longer-term access prevention measures
Landholder questions
Traveller eviction and trespasser removal FAQs
General answers for landowners, managing agents, businesses and public bodies. Individual cases can require a different route.
Can travellers be removed from private land?
Potentially, yes. The landholder's authority, occupation status, land, consent history and risks must be assessed first. A managed common-law route may be suitable in some cases; a possession order or another statutory route may be preferable in others.
Do I always need a court order?
No. A person entitled to possession may in some circumstances recover open land from genuine trespassers without first obtaining a possession order. Court proceedings under CPR Part 55 may be safer where status, authority, buildings, access or confrontation risk is uncertain.
Can UK Bailiffs attend within two hours?
Our operational target is initial attendance within two hours after a complete instruction has been checked and accepted, subject to location, legal and risk checks, agent availability and any specialist support required. We confirm timing after assessment.
Does two-hour attendance mean two-hour clearance?
No. It is an attendance target, not a clearance deadline and not the time occupants will necessarily be allowed to leave. Departure timing depends on the facts, safety, communication, vehicle movements, welfare issues and what is reasonable at the site.
How much notice must occupants receive?
There is no single statutory notice period for every trespass case. Under a managed common-law route, a clear request to leave and a reasonable opportunity to do so are important. What is reasonable depends on the particular circumstances.
Should I approach the encampment or take photographs?
No. Do not approach, enter the occupied area or take new photographs for the instruction. Provide only information, existing images and plans already available and obtained safely and lawfully.
What if the occupants refuse to leave?
Agents reassess the circumstances, risks and available authority. The response may involve further engagement, proportionate resources, a planned reattendance, police liaison where appropriate or a recommendation to use court proceedings.
Will the police attend?
Police do not automatically remove people because trespass is alleged. Police involvement and use of any statutory power are decisions for the police. They may respond to crime, disorder, risk or an anticipated breach of the peace.
How are children and vulnerabilities handled?
Tell us about known children, illness, disability, safeguarding concerns, animals or support-service involvement. The assessment is reviewed on arrival and the plan may be adapted, paused or escalated if circumstances materially change.
What happens to vehicles and belongings?
Vehicles and goods are not automatically abandoned because occupants have left. Ownership, removal authority, safe storage, collection arrangements and any notice or disposal process must be considered separately.
How should the site be protected afterward?
Access points should be reviewed immediately. Depending on the land, this may include barriers, locks, earthworks, CCTV, guarding, patrols or repair work. Security and clean-up should be scoped separately from the eviction instruction.
How much does the service cost?
Cost depends on location, numbers present, access, known risks, timing, agent numbers and any recovery, security or specialist resources required. We confirm the proposed route, resources and price before deployment.
Secure online instruction
Ask us to assess the site
Provide the information already known. We will review the proposed authority, apparent route, risks, resources and likely timetable before confirming whether the instruction can be accepted.
Site address and access information
Your authority over the land
Approximate people and vehicles
When occupation began
Known risks or previous incidents
Known welfare or safeguarding information
Do not approach the site to gather more information. Need to discuss urgency first? Call 0330 133 1818 or email help@ukbailiffs.org .
Ready to send the instruction?
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Important:
This page provides general information for England and Wales and is not legal advice. The available route depends on the land, authority, occupation, consent history, occupants, buildings, vehicles, risks and circumstances on attendance. UK Bailiffs assesses operational and apparent procedural suitability but does not replace advice from a solicitor where entitlement or the correct possession route is uncertain. Instructions are subject to the Traveller and Trespasser Terms and Conditions.
Unauthorised occupation on your land?
Send the known site details or speak directly with the UK Bailiffs team.
