A call has been made for enforcement action to be taken over an unauthorised camp of Travellers in north Cumbria.
While it is understood that they own the land they are occupying, there is no permission for people to live on the site.
Neighbours to the land, off Fenton Lane End, between Fenton and Faugh in Cumberland Council’s Corby and Hayton ward, originally objected when it was used to store what was described as building waste and rubble last May.
Later, a number of vehicles were moved there later.
When the Local Democracy Reporting Service visited the site this week there were four caravans, a motor home, as well as a number of cars and vans but no one was available for comment.
One person who lives nearby and declined to be identified, said: “Well, it’s just not right. There’s no planning permission and he’s just done as he wanted right from the word go.”
Another, who also did not wish to be identified, added: “I think he should be entitled to do what he is allowed to do with his piece of land.
“But otherwise, everything else that’s happened there should be removed either through his own goodwill or through enforcement, if that is required.”
It is understood that the council is currently seeking legal advice on the matter and councillor Roger Dobson (Corby and Hayton, Lib Dems) said the matter was brought to his attention at the beginning of May last year.
He added: “At that stage, when I first came out, there was just builders’ rubble that had been deposited on the site.
“It’s worth saying that this has been described as a large piece of verge. It’s a very small parcel of land, but very much part of this beautiful rural area, which has now been desecrated by this landowner who has no respect for our planning laws.”
Cllr Dobson said he brought it to the attention of the council early in May 2025 as things deteriorated and he added: “I repeatedly asked the council to enforce action on the individual.
“A retrospective planning application came in, which took a long time for the council to process, and was ultimately rejected.
“And then, more recently, fires occurred on the site with unpleasant fumes polluting the local residents.”
He said the vehicles started ‘mysteriously appearing’ and he added: “The gentleman who owns the site then explained that he was living there with his pregnant wife and two small children. All this, without planning permission.
“As time has gone by the site has become an increasing eyesore that’s quite offensive, additional security fences being erected, access to the site is, again, on a bend, that is dangerous, and that access does not have planning permission.
“As I understand it, people can’t live in caravans for more than a month without having planning permission. So, this is an egregious breach of the planning rules.
“And I am beside myself as to why the council is having such difficulty taking the simplest action, like applying a temporary stop notice.
“Well, I’m not unsympathetic with some of the resourcing problems with the council. That is not a satisfactory excuse, and something must be done.”
Cllr Dobson said the next step was for the council to issue a temporary stop notice to stop it getting any worse followed by an enforcement notice to require remediation of the site so it was returned to its original condition.
He said he would be closely monitoring the situation and added: “As you can imagine the local residents are keeping me abreast of events regularly and I will leave no stone unturned to try and get this situation resolved.”
