Traveller camp set up in council office car park

An encampment of travellers has moved on to a large car park on the site of a council headquarters.

Teignbridge District Council said an "unauthorised encampment" had arrived on Saturday and warned staff and the public parking would be "severely limited".

The council said the Forde House site at Newton Abbot was "open as usual for anyone who has an appointment" and it would "follow the relevant legal processes to remove this unauthorised encampment".

The council decided in July 2025 to spend more than £70,000 on measures to stop unauthorised encampments on council-owned green spaces while recognising there were no transit sites or temporary stopping points for travellers in Devon.

A spokesperson for the council said staff had been advised to come to the office "by public transport or other means, or to work from home".

The spokesperson said: "We are prioritising parking spaces for staff working in critical services and allowing capacity for visitors to the council, the Jobcentre and the dentist surgery."

The council advised any members of the public going to the Forde House offices to travel by public transport, on a bicycle or on foot.

Devon and Cornwall Police said officers had been to the site alongside Teignbridge District Council officers to speak with the group.

On its website, the council says when dealing with any unauthorised encampment on its land it will "carry out welfare assessments of the unauthorised campers" and liaise with police to "determine the most appropriate course of action".

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