MEMBERS of the BNP bringing caravans to the controversial Red, White and Blue festival in Denby in August could face arrest.
Amber Valley Borough Council has written to organiser Alan Warner, who has hosted the event on his land for the past two years, warning him he risks police intervention by allowing too many caravanners to park on his land during the festival without a licence.
Landowners need a caravan site licence to use their sites as a temporary or permanent park for the vehicles and the council says the excessive number of caravans at last year's festival exceeded the number allowed without permission.
In a letter to Mr Warner sent earlier this month Amber Valley solicitor Paul Benski said: "Land may not be used as a caravan site, either permanently or temporarily, unless a site licence is held. To do otherwise would constitute a criminal offence.
"I must ask you to state in clear terms that anyone entering your land with a caravan is a trespasser who does so without your permission. Anyone who then does so is liable to arrest by the police for public order offences."
Mr Warner, whose home was targeted by vandals last week, said: "I have told our party to break off all communication with the council. I think it is absolutely ridiculous – talking about coming on site and arresting people in caravans for trespassing.
"This is clearly victimisation. Other events in the area like the steam rally have many caravans on site with no problems. It looks to me like they have been scouring the legal books looking for something to get us on and this is all they have found."
A spokesman for the council said: "Chief executive Peter Carney is responding to representations from the Chief Constable and complaints after last year's event from residents about the number of caravans on the site giving rise to traffic and noise issues.
"He is asking the council to make an order prohibiting a trespassory assembly on the land for the event, following a request from the Chief Constable. This is aimed at preventing large numbers of protesters attending the event, and follows the order that was made last year. He is also asking the council to apply for an injunction to prevent caravans entering the site."
The matter was discused by Amber Valley Borough Council on Wednesday, July 22, in private.
Article from the Ripley And Heanor News
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