CLACTON MP Douglas Carswell claims Tendring Council and the police already have the powers to tackle problems with travellers – and said it was “high time” they used them.

Frustrated council bosses had called on the MP to press for changes in the law to help local authorities remove travellers from illegal sites more easily.

Tendring Council has spent about £20,000 so far this year dealing with the encampments and cleaning up sites, including near Brook Park, Centenary Way and Martello car park in Clacton.

Council housing boss Paul Honeywood had described the battle with the travellers as a “cat-and-mouse game” and “a continuous merry-go-round” of moving them from one site to another.

But Mr Carswell said the police and council already had powers to tackle the problem.

The MP wrote to housing and planning minister Brandon Lewis, who said the police had existing powers to order unauthorised camps to move on.

Mr Lewis said the Government had sent a summary of those powers to all council leaders, chief constables and police and crime commissioners.

They empower police to move on travellers, particularly if they have caused damage or offence.

Mr Carswell said: “It’s right that Essex Police has the power to do something about this.

“But I also think Tendring Council and our police and crime commissioner need to do more about this problem.

“For too long, people around the constituency have had to endure the nuisance some of these travellers can cause.

“The powers to do something about this are there, so it’s high time the police and crime commissioner and the council had a real plan to deal with it.”

Mr Honeywood said he had hoped Mr Carswell would push to make it quicker and cheaper for local authorities to move on unauthorised camps and recover the cost of clearing up sites.

“Using the powers available to the council, it takes around a week to move travellers on – that’s far too long,” he said..

“When travellers are moved on, there’s nothing stopping them moving a short distance down the road. A change in the law could help to prevent these repeat incursions.”