11 July 2008, 08/156
Trespassers will be prosecuted!
‘Trespass on our land and we will take action’ is the message
from West Lancashire District Council after taking a burger-van
owner to court.
Kevin Jarvis, of Enstone, Tanhouse, was recently ordered by a
judge to stop blocking access to Council garages, sending out a
warning to others that people cannot use council properties without
permission.
The Skelmersdale man had previously rented two garages from
Housing Services on Enstone but in March of this year the Council
ended his tenancies.
However, Mr Jarvis continued to use one of the garage's
forecourt to park up his burger bar trailers and messed up the area
with debris from working on them.
Despite warnings from the Council to ask him to stop doing this
and blocking the access to the garage, he ignored the requests.
On Thursday 3 July District Judge Sanderson at Wigan County
Court made an immediate order that Mr Jarvis must refrain from
using the two garages on Enstone and not put any vehicles or
equipment in the garages or on their forecourts. The Judge
warned him that if he ignored the injunction he would face the
possibility of going to prison for contempt of court.
Councillor Val Hopley, Portfolio Holder for Housing, said:
"Tenants pay around £6 per week to use Council garages and the
income is used to maintain and improve the properties. It is
totally unfair that this man should use garage areas and pay
nothing for doing so, and block prospective tenants from using the
garages. We warned him that this was unacceptable so we had no
other option than to take him to court.
"This sends out a message that people cannot use council
properties without the permission of West Lancashire District
Council and if you trespass on our land we will take action."
Related information
> Tenant
information
> Tenant and resident association