When a statutory authority is left with no alternative but to acquire land under a development consent or compulsory purchase order, the manual will direct them to the sheriff's office once the GVD or notices to treat have come into effect. High Court Enforcement Officers have since replaced Sheriffs, but the authority remains the same.

Our management and agents have substantial experience in such enforcement with successful operations on Crossrail, Thames Tideway Tunnel and HS2, to name a few. We can also undertake enforcement under the Town & Country Planning Act 1990.

The majority of our public sector clients use our eviction services for closure orders and the temporary housing of excluded occupiers. We are generally instructed following the discharge of your duty under the Housing Act 1996, and the eviction is usually under grounds section 189b, 190 or 193. Whilst we are robust in our approach, our agents are trained extensively on the use of reasonable force and powers of entry.

We attend any medium to high-risk assignment to undertake a comprehensive risk assessment of the property and any occupants. We proactively work with agencies to signpost advice and support available to vulnerable persons. We also have bespoke solutions for service users causing distress to other residents. We believe that a home should be a place to enjoy without anti-social behaviour affecting our communities.

Whether the tenant has stopped paying rent or you seek assistance with forfeiting a lease, our team are readily available to assist with remedies available to landlords. We also undertake evictions of squatters and the removal of abandoned vehicles.

Historically, trespassers on land referred to persons from the traveller community occupying land without consent. In recent times, we have seen groups of homeless persons and beggars sleeping in tents. Whilst these groups are often amicable, the encampments pose a greater problem for local authorities and police, with widespread reports of human waste, hazardous substances and sharps being left on land. We act under common law, Writs of possession and sections 77-78 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to remove the trespassers and detriment to public health.

Since the introduction of the Control of Horses Act 2015, local authorities have been able to take far swifter action in removing abandoned fly-grazers from public land. This has not stopped the issue, and we are on hand to deal with the serving abandonment notices and ethically rehoming the livestock.

A concerning issue facing our communities is the prevalence of criminal gangs that deposit industrial-scale waste on vacant land. Whilst the government are considering ways to reform how waste is handled, we fear that the practice has become so lucrative financially that offenders will continue to profit. From the installation of security fencing and CCTV to the mobilisation of security, we have solutions to deter offenders.