Trespassers who set up camp illegally on other people’s land or in local communities could face up to three months in prison from Tuesday 28 June, as a new criminal offence becomes law.

Cracking down on antisocial people causing misery by setting up illegal camps and refusing to remove their vehicles, delivers on a key government manifesto commitment.

Made possible by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, on Tuesday police in England and Wales will be given new powers to limit the harms caused by such unauthorised encampments and new statutory guidance will be published.

Police will now be able to ban trespassers from returning to a patch of land for a year, rather than just three months.

And the definition of harm will be broadened, so that police can take more decisive action to tackle unauthorised encampments when necessary.

They will be able to intervene where unauthorised encampments are causing environmental damage or distress to the community – not just the landowner.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

No one should have unchecked rights to trespass on other people’s land, or cause misery in communities without consequence.

The position in law is now very clear – trespassers must move their vehicles when asked to do so, or face jail time and a hefty fine.

Illegal encampments cause misery for thousands of people: they damage and pollute environments and often result in local residents facing unacceptable intimidation on their own doorstep.

Delivering on our manifesto commitments, this government will always stand on the side of the law-abiding majority and on the side of the police.

Under the new guidance, the harms potentially caused by unauthorised encampments could include – but are not limited to – instances where:

• there is excessive littering, noise or smell – including from bonfire smoke
• a local resident is verbally abused or intimidated, or fears leaving their house to avoid walking past an encampment
• local communities are prevented from accessing sports fields, parks or car parks
• property on the land, or the land itself has been damaged – including farmland

For the first time, unauthorised encampments on highways will be covered, as well as on public and private land.

The new criminal offence will be punishable by a prison sentence of up to 3 months, or a fine of up to £2,500, or both, and/or seizure of the vehicle.

The conditions of the offence are clear – if people leave when asked to by the police or landowner, they will not risk having their vehicle seized, a fine or prison time.

Statistics showed that the number of authorised traveller pitches had increased by 41% from January 2010 to January 2020 and the government continues its work to provide even more authorised sites for travellers to reside upon. This includes a new fund recently launched that will provide £10 million of capital grant funding for 2022/2023, to support local authorities in England in improving accommodation provision for travellers.

The Home Office has announced initial plans for a new Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in Oxfordshire.

Today (28 June 2022) the department has started the first stages of the procurement to operate a new IRC on the site of the former Campsfield House.

The new IRC, which will be a secure facility and will accommodate men only, will not be operational until at least late 2023. The Home Office will be engaging local authorities, the local MP, police and other partners as plans are developed.

Tom Pursglove MP, Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration, said:

Those who have abused the immigration system, including foreign national criminals who have devastated the lives of their victims, should be in no doubt of our determination to remove them. This is what the British public rightly expects.

Opening a new immigration removal centre, as part of the New Plan for Immigration, will help ensure there is sufficient detention capacity to safely accommodate individuals ahead of removal.

Detention is an essential part of a fair but firm immigration system and is used to ensure those who have no right to be in the UK, including foreign criminals, are returned, if they refuse to leave voluntarily. Individuals are only returned when the Home Office and, where applicable, the courts deem it is safe to do so.

Once operational, the centre will provide local employment opportunities. Campsfield is anticipated to accommodate up to 400 men, foreign criminals and immigration offenders, in a combination of refurbished and new-build accommodation.

The welfare of all those in immigration detention is of the upmost importance. We will therefore take into account Stephen Shaw’s reviews on welfare in detention as Campsfield is redeveloped. As with all other IRCs, the centre will have a full range of primary healthcare facilities.

Today’s announcement comes as the new powers as part of the Nationality and Borders Act come into force which will strengthen our ability to deter illegal immigration, tackle criminality and secure our borders.