ON THURSDAY, Harlow Council attended Chelmsford County Court to apply for possession of the land off Tripton Road.

At the hearing the Judge awarded the Council a final order for possession of the land which comes into force immediately. This means that if the travellers do not leave the land the Council can take action to evict them.

Councillor Emma Toal, Portfolio Holder for Youth & Citizenship, said: “I know the legal process we have to follow for illegal encampments can be frustrating for residents but now we have the possession order we can legally evict the travellers.

“We will be serving the court papers to the travellers today and we are starting to make preparations to evict them in case they do not leave.

“As we have always said residents’ expect us to protect the town’s green spaces and uphold the law.”