Enforcement notice served on Cambridge Traveller convoy near Marleigh Estate

Travellers on the cycle/pedestrian pathway between the Marleigh estate and Ditton Lane have been served with an enforcement notice.

An enforcement notice must be served 28 days before it is due to take effect and no more than 28 days after the date of its issue.

The community of around 10 vehicles - including cars, motorhomes and caravans - apparently arrived ten days ago and parked up on the RN51, the cycle route which joins the centre of Cambridge out to Quy, Bottisham and Swaffham Prior. There is no suggestion that the RN51 is inaccessible.

Residents in the area - the cycle/pedestrian pathway runs parallel to Fison Road - speculated that the convoy must have come through the Marleigh estate although others identified the Ditton Lane end as the likely point of entry, with the vehicles simply manoeuvring round the posts that separate the RN51 route from Ditton Lane. .

“They have accessed the cycle way at the top of the Ditton Lane/Fison Road corner,” one nearby resident said, “across the grass between the wooden posts. You can see where they have churned up the grass quite clearly, and it’s now looking a mess.”

She added: “They are also using the adjacent field behind them to go use as a toilet as there are faeces and toilet paper left by the hedge, as can be seen when gaining access across the field to get to High Ditch Road.”

“This is one for the developers there as it is on private land,” said a spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police.

A spokesperson for Cambridge City Council said: “This [location] actually sits outside of the Cambridge city boundary and may be private land meaning that the course of action taken would be down to the landowners.”

A spokesperson from Hill Marshall LLP, the landowner, said: “We are aware of the situation at Marleigh and can confirm the land agents for the estate management company have taken appropriate action.

“An enforcement notice has been served and we are working towards an expeditious eviction. We appreciate the community’s patience and cooperation.”

The RN51 was opened two years ago following an extended construction period, and is part of the upgraded cycling network in the region.

The vehicles were still in situ on Sunday morning.

- This article is updated from the original post which suggested the Marleigh estate as a likely point of entry.