Northampton Borough Council is looking at ownership of land at Traveller encampment

Authorities are scratching their heads over an unusual situation whereby a group of Travellers are occupying land at Pineham Locks, which is part of a flood plain.

A Northampton Borough Council spokesman today said: “The travellers own some of the land but nobody is allowed to occupy any of it as it is considered part of the flood plain.

"This means we and partners can’t just employ our usual procedures when they are occupying public or private land owned by someone else.

“There are a series of steps we have to take and we are systematically working our way through those to move this group on, and in the meantime we continue to work with partners at Northamptonshire Police to monitor the situation and provide reassurance to nearby residents.”

MP for Northamptonshire South has alleged a series of complaints from residents since their arrival on private land about six weeks ago in an open letter written to Stephen Mold.

The Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold added: “I visited the area on Monday with the local police sergeant to see the site for myself as I am very concerned that residents are suffering anti social behaviour allegedly related to this site.

“I have spoken to the local police area commander and he assures me that neighbourhood officers are maintaining a visible presence in the area to reassure residents and deter any incidents.

"The Chief Officers of Northamptonshire Police are fully aware of and also monitoring the situation closely. Northampton Borough Council is looking urgently at the ownership of what is private land and all the agencies, including Northamptonshire Police, are working together to try to tackle swiftly a totally unacceptable situation for local people and to bring this issue to an end as soon as possible.”

A spokesperson for Northamptonshire Police, said: “We are continuing to work closely with Northampton Borough Council to help resolve this matter.

"In the meantime, members of the Northampton Neighbourhood Team will continue to conduct regular patrols of the area and engage with local residents.”