Van dwellers moved

PEOPLE living in vans next to Greenbank cemetery are being moved on after the city council obtained a new court order.

The council has obtained a possession order for Greenbank View and surrounding roads last month, giving van dwellers 14 days from April 18 to leave the area.

An interim injunction has also been put in place to stop obstruction of footpaths, use of threatening language, contacting residents, drug use, storing wood, fly-tipping and defecating or urinating in public places in the area.

The large number of converted vans used as homes in the area has led to years of debate, with the people living in them saying the shortage of affordable housing means they have nowhere else to go but residents complaining of persistent antisocial behaviour.

In a letter to residents announcing the latest move, Eastville ward councillor Marley Bennett said he had "sympathy" with van dwellers and the council was setting up specific sites for them to live in, but was aware of the "persistent antisocial behaviour from van dwellers on Greenbank View".