Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Travellers at two sites in Plymouth have ignored Plymouth City Council's notice to quit, leaving council chiefs to face a legal route to move them on. PlymouthLive reported how two large groups of Travellers had set up unauthorised encampments on April 28 at Staddiscombe playing fields in Plymstock and another at Knowle Battery in West Park. Both sites have been popular with Travellers over the past few years and on occasion the grounds have been repeatedly subject to unauthorised encampments a number of times between April and August each year. Plymouth City Council - which is responsible for both sites - confirmed it had issued a Notice to Quit to each encampment, which grants Travellers 24-hours to move on. However, the council has confirmed that neither group have acted on the notices, which leaves the council having to apply to the courts to secure a possession order which can take several days. If the Travellers still continue to refuse to leave the council would then have to employ bailiffs to enforce the eviction. A spokesperson for the council told PlymouthLive on Wednesday [April 30] afternoon: "We are aware of two unauthorised encampments in the city, one at Staddiscombe Playing Fields and the other at Knowle Battery in West Park. "We have issued a Notice to Quit to both groups which have both expired. We will now be applying to the court for a Notice of Possession for each site." What is a Notice to Quit? If the land is council owned, the council can issue a Notice to Quit. A Notice to Quit is a legal document which gives Travellers 24 hours to vacate the site. If Travellers fails to do so, the council has authority to escalate proceedings and apply through the court for a possession hearing which can take a week to be listed. This is because of court rules surrounding notice periods. Once the hearing takes place, the court will determine if possession is granted and if it is, the council will receive a possession order which is served to the occupants signalling an eviction is going to take place. Once the council has a possession order, it has access to County Court bailiffs and private High Court enforcement officers. What does the law say? Travellers have been a part of British culture for hundreds of years. Councils across the UK have a duty of care to Travelling communities and all have designated areas where groups can stay. The city council has a permanent site called The Ride near Saltram, in Plympton, but there is a waiting list. If an encampment is reported on public land or local parks, the council has to apply to the civil court for an eviction order. If a camp is set up on private land it is the responsibility of the landowner to apply to the court for an order. In both cases it is down to bailiffs to enforce eviction orders and move Travellers on. Police officers have no powers to remove Travellers unless they receive reports of "aggravating factors" such as disorder, antisocial behaviour, or crime. Plymouth police used Section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 in June 2021 to order Travellers at St Mary's playing field in Plympton to leave the site or see their vehicles seized. It is believed to have been the first time Plymouth police made use of the legal power. At the time Plymouth City Council was set to go to Plymouth County Court to secure a possession order, but police said they took action after receiving a number of reports from local residents regarding antisocial behaviour and criminal activity.