Caravan Encampment Arrives at Stoke Park – Police ‘Monitoring The Situation’

Published on: 15 Aug, 2025
Updated on: 19 Aug, 2025

The unauthorised encampment at Stoke Park

Around 30 caravans and 28 other vehicles that arrived at Stoke Park on Tuesday evening were still there today (August 15).

A statement from Surrey police said: “We are aware of the unauthorised encampment.

“Officers visited the site and will continue to monitor the situation while working closely with our partners at Guildford Borough Council, who own the land.”

Powers are available to the police to manage unauthorised encampments under Sections 60, 61, and 62 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. But the police said these are reliant on meeting certain criteria with regards to damage, disruption or distress.

The statement said: “It was judged that the encampment does not currently meet this threshold, but the relevant sections of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 will be reviewed on an ongoing basis to judge whether the criteria to direct the site to be vacated has been met.”

Responses to Caravan Encampment Arrives at Stoke Park – Police ‘Monitoring The Situation’

R Wornham Reply

August 15, 2025 at 3:14 pm

So the Travellers are back again.

So unlovely to see a male by the caravan nearest the road urinating alongside his caravan at 9:30 in the morning. A lot of them that are there are the same ones we had in Stoughton Recreation Ground for a week. Pity they haven’t changed their habits. My fence was the target as a urinal and also somewhere to hang their washing on. There was a long week of them driving around the rec like they owned it, car lights flashing into your windows through the night, along with an awful lot of car-horn-beeping to add to the disruption they caused. They even had a new camper van delivered to the rec.

I have no prejudice against them. I grew up with Travellers in my village as a child. I just wish they would respect the area they have decided to camp in, the people who have to live there and stop leaving their rubbish behind.

Bin bags were provided by GBC to them and the council even came and carried out a daily litter pick where they were camping. We don’t get litter pickers up my road ever.

We have had four lots of Travellers in Stoughton Rec I wonder why GBC did not take the appropriate actions to prevent the last three.
Jim Allen Reply

August 15, 2025 at 9:51 pm

Actually, under section 68 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/33/section/68) it is an arrestable offence to prevent the use of land as intended.
- S Conn Reply
  
  August 16, 2025 at 1:53 pm
  
  Guildford Borough Council are more concerned about disadvantaged Travellers and allowing Stoke Park to be a dwelling for these groups instead of investing in more appropriate prevention and control.
  
  1. Travellers continue to break the law and gain access to Stoke Park.
  
  2. They use Jubilee Woodland to dump their waste grey water from their caravans. This is a real health hazard.
  
  3. Travellers drive around the park grassland making it inaccessible to the public.
  
  4. They leave rubbish and debris all over and leave large bags for Guildford Borough Council to clean up at tax payers expense.
  
  5. There is general anti-social behaviour and lack of respect toward the local community and the area they affect.
  
  The necessary groups in local government and police need learn from these ongoing incidents and put a fast track process in place to address the problem. Taxpayers’ money should not be continuously wasted in this way.
- Frank Emery Reply
  
  August 16, 2025 at 7:58 pm
  
  So basically if someone “breaks the restrictions” on an entry point or stops a person or persons from carrying out an activity because of their behaviour a crime has been committed?
  
  If that’s the case as I understand it, why do the police not uphold the law and remove the perpetrators?
Frank Emery Reply

August 16, 2025 at 11:32 am

Each time this happens, the same old twaddle from the police, and every time the result is the same.

Total disregard for the local people and surrounding areas, disgusting behaviour from the perpetrators and a complete mess of the area involved.

The result is the same every time, it’s about time the police got on with what they are paid to do and prevent the disruption and the disgusting outcome.

If each time you always do the same thing and each time you always end up with the same outcome, isn’t it time to change and sort this type of situation out immediately?
Mark Kent Reply

August 16, 2025 at 4:07 pm

It can’t be beyond the wit of man to stop them getting on Stoke Park or any park for that matter, why are GBC so inept?
Angela Richardson Reply

August 16, 2025 at 6:55 pm

We [the former Conservative Government] gave the police significantly more powers in the Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 to tackle disruption caused by traveller encampments.

Angela Richardson is the former Conservative MP for Guildford.
- J Webb Reply
  
  August 19, 2025 at 7:26 am
  
  Yes, and we have a Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner in Surrey whose job it is to hold the Chief Constable to account in meeting the needs of the community. Why isn’t this legislation being used?
  
  Section 68 of the 1994 Act introduced the offence of aggravated trespass which occurs on the loss of amenity. Surely the cancellation of the Parkrun and the use of the grassy space as a motor racing track constitutes a loss of amenity to the park’s lawful users.
  
  It was a Conservative politician that introduced this legislation but it is another Conservative politician that is accountable for the public body that is pretending it can’t do anything.
Anthony Mallard Reply

August 17, 2025 at 12:25 pm

With the numbers of Travellers present it would appear, through lack of resources due to government cut backs to police budgets, the police have to take a pragmatic approach to any action it takes.

To clear a resistant group of Travellers would probably take the whole of the county’s manpower, on duty at that time, and there may be other more urgent priorities to deal with. Sad but true.
Frank Emery Reply

August 20, 2025 at 7:29 pm

Anthony Mallard should not give our pathetic police force excuses. If he said the wrong thing to an ethnic minority, they would soon be battering on his door!

As for our so called Police and Crime Commissioner, why are we paying her and her bunch of cronies for doing diddly squat?
Mike Smith Reply

August 20, 2025 at 9:04 pm

As Guildford has long lacked any camping facilities for tourists I’m pleased to see that GBC have now opened Stoke Park up to caravanners and motorhomers and I hope provision for tent campers will soon follow.