Oldham Council has secured a court order requiring the removal of an unauthorised encampment from Oldham Edge.
Council officers first visited the site on Thursday 6th August following concerns from residents and people using the park. Officers spoke to those at the encampment, who said they intended to leave by Saturday 8th August.
As the site had not been vacated, the Council returned with support from Greater Manchester Police on Tuesday 11th August. A formal direction was served under Section 77 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, requiring those at the encampment to leave and remove their vehicles and belongings.
The Council also provided information about authorised sites in Greater Manchester, along with advice about health, wellbeing and reporting hate crime.
After the direction was not followed, the Council began court proceedings. On Monday 17th August, Tameside Magistrates’ Court granted an order requiring the removal of the encampment.
The site was vacated later that day. A significant amount of waste was left behind, which has now been removed by the Council’s cleansing team.
A Council spokesperson said: “We understand the concerns raised by residents and people using Oldham Edge, and we thank them for their patience while we followed the legal process.
“We always try to resolve unauthorised encampments through discussion and voluntary cooperation wherever possible. However, when the site was not vacated as agreed, it became necessary to take further action.
“We worked closely with Greater Manchester Police throughout to make sure the situation was handled lawfully and proportionately.
“The encampment has now left and our cleansing team has completed the clean-up, allowing the area to be returned to the local community.”