Shergroup’s
enforcement and security divisions were called in by
Southend Borough Council in March to bring to a conclusion
the tail end of the longest running protest camp in
the UK, referred to as ‘Camp Bling’. In
fact, the site had moved across the road and was now
named ‘Camp Cuckoo’! Protesters were camped
on Priory Crescent, Southend, and were opposing a £5m
road improvement scheme on the burial site of a Saxon
King, who was dubbed the "King of Bling" after
archaeologists found gold at the 8th Century site and
the earlier (hence the first name given to the site).
Shergroup Officers served High Court papers on the
protestors at the Cuckoo site in March, in which the
defendants were actually named as parties to the proceedings
– unusual in trespasser actions. Lorraine Butler,
interim Head of Enterprise at Southend Borough Council,
said: “The aim of the legal proceedings is to
take back possession of the land so we can begin work.
The protesters have no right to be there, and their
actions have already caused significant disruption.
Peaceful protest is everybody's right in a democratic
society, but any action that hinders the progress
of the approved scheme is not acceptable. Their actions
have left us with no alternative but to resort to
legal proceedings to ensure we can progress with the
scheme.”
Once the Order for Possession had been made in the
High Court, the Writ of Possession was prepared by
Shergroup, as a firm of High Court Enforcement Officers,
so that the eviction could take place.
In the early hours of the morning, Shergroup Enforcement
Officers arrived on the site and met no resistance
as the tree felling began at 8am. The work was completed
by noon. Anna Waite, Southend Council’s Executive
Councillor for Planning and Transport, was pleased
there had been no confrontation with the protestors.
She said: “I am pleased the bailiffs have managed
to take back possession of this piece of land for
the Council without incident. Every effort was made
to keep the disruption caused to local residents and
motorists to a minimum, and the trees were removed
quicker than we expected. We can now get on with the
preparation work for this vital road improvement project,
which will greatly benefit the town."
Shergroup’s end-to-end service assisted the
client local authority in its planning and organisation
of the Writ of Possession, giving a complete and seamless
service. Following its own stringent health and safety
policy, Shergroup worked with its strategic partners,
including highly specialised contractors, to deal
with “working at height” and “confined
space risks.”
As always, the Shergroup team worked hand in hand
with Essex Police to ensure a safe and well-planned
operation. Finally, Shergroup’s security teams
were on hand to manage any additional protestor action
that might thwart the immediate start to construction
works.
In addition, whilst Shergroup takes a neutral stance
in these matters, we are able to report in this Bulletin
that for the first time we saw a protestor walk into
the reception area at Shergroup House and pay the
£5,000 legal costs that were ordered to be paid
as a result of the Order for Possession being made
against named individuals. The defendant had been
to his bank, drawn out the money and delivered the
cash to Shergroup’s offices.
