Hopes fence will end 'illegal encampments' at park

Parts of Milton Regis recreation ground already has the fencing around the edge

Fencing will be installed around a recreation ground in Kent to help prevent "illegal encampments", a council has said.

Swale Borough Council is putting "knee rail" fencing around Milton Regis recreation ground, near Sittingbourne, because vehicles have driven on to the area three times this year.

The council says removing the encampments, cleaning up after them and carrying out any repairs costs local taxpayers thousands of pounds each time.

The 1,476ft (450m) of wooden fencing will be roughly 1.6ft (50cm) high and will be paid for through funding set aside for open space improvements, the council said.

Part of the recreation ground already has fencing around its edge. The new fencing will cover the rest.

Dolley Wooster, chair of the council's environmental services and climate change committee, said: "So far this year, Milton Rec has seen three illegal encampments and residents have expressed their concerns on how it impacts their use of the recreation ground.

"Each incident also costs local council taxpayers thousands of pounds to remove, along with the costs of cleaning the site, waste removal and carrying out repairs.

"We need to follow a number of legal steps – welfare checks, legal notices and, when necessary, court applications - which takes up valuable resources.

"We want to prevent further incidents and have been trying to find ways to retain the original use of the park."

Ms Wooster said the fencing would stop vehicles getting into the park without losing the "formal but open feel" of the the area.