A POPULAR Parkrun was cancelled following an invasion of 30 caravans on a community field.
Runners were warned that unless the ‘unauthorised encampment’ was cleared, the weekly event could be called off for the foreseeable future.
BPMSurrey Police are monitoring the 30 caravans at Guildford’s Stoke Park, which appeared on August 12[/caption]
Residents living near Guildford’s Stoke Park woke up to the vehicles on the 130-acre town centre green space on August 12.
A Parkrun spokesperson said: “Sadly we’ve had to cancel Saturday 16th due to the large unauthorised encampment in Stoke park. Please spread the word!”
“We’ve had no indication that the travellers will move on soon, so please watch this space for news of next week.
“We hope you enjoy your tourism/lie-in.”
Parkrun is a free 5K community run or walk that takes place every Saturday morning in parks, seafronts and open spaces across the UK.
Founded in 2004 at Bushy Park with just 13 runners, it now has 1,200 events across the country and has become a staple of the British weekend.
Earlier this week, Surrey Police visited the makeshift caravan site but were unable to evict the caravans and their owners.
The force said that the large encampment “does not currently meet the threshold of powers available to police” to manage unauthorised encampments.
Officer’s powers to manage encampments are “reliant on certain criteria with regards to damage, disruption, or distress” according to Surrey Police.
Surrey Police said they will continue to monitor the site to see if the threshold to evict the campers had been met.
Images of the encampment showed the caravans parked in a haphazard style on a playing pitch.
A set of goalposts can be seen in the background of one of the pictures with the caravans blocking a large area of the pitch.
The campers appear to have generators and gas canisters hooked up to them as the owners look to be settling in for a long stay.
Each of the caravans seems to have come with its own car to tow it along, taking up even more space in the leafy suburb.
Officers have so far been completely powerless to evict the caravan owners with locals forced to put up with the encampment for the time being.
Earlier this week, a police spokesperson said: “We are aware of an unauthorised encampment of around 30 caravans and 28 other vehicles in Stoke Park, which arrived yesterday evening (August 12).
“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.
“The powers available to police to manage unauthorised encampments under Sections 60, 61, and 62 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 are reliant on meeting certain criteria with regards to damage, disruption, or distress.
“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.”
The Sun has approached Surrey Police for an update and new comment.
AlamyThere are 1,200 Parkruns across the country and everyone is welcome[/caption]
BPMThe Parkrun was cancelled due to the number of vehicles on the playing field[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
