The people of Bristol demanded to leave the Downs

People living in caravans and vehicles on the Bristol Downs have been asked to leave the site.

The city council carried out a welfare check and assessment of van residents on Parry’s Lane and Saville Road, near the Downs, on June 12 following concerns from local residents about excess waste, abandoned vehicles and tipping.

During the visit, the occupiers were issued with an “informal request” asking them to vacate the land within the next 14 days. Those who refuse to leave are threatened with legal action.

A council spokesman said: “The neighborhood enforcement team remains in conversation with the occupiers.”

They added that the letter – which was seen by the BBC – was “not an official eviction notice” but an offer to residents for an opportunity to “open a dialogue” about the concerns raised.

Dan Ampleford, who lives in a trailer on the site, said he wasn’t sure where it would go.

“I will go, like all of us, but we have no choice,” he said.

He added that residents had previously been offered another site, which was “basically a car park on the edge of town”.

Mr Ampleford described the alternative provision as “really unaffordable” and “very inconvenient” for anyone working nearby.

But Chris Leeks, who lives nearby, said: “I don’t like it, but I see these people as victims rather than the problem.”

He added: “How do we live in the age we live in and people are forced to live in such accommodation?

“No running water, no facilities, no garbage collection, no toilets – I think it’s shocking.

“If you’re lucky enough to live here, maybe you should have a little compassion.

“We’re in a glorious part of town, it’s a wonderful space and these people have nowhere else to go.”

Nicola West, who also lives in Bristol, said she saw “no problem” with the van dwellers either.

“Why are they living here in the first place is the question that needs to be asked,” she said.

“I don’t see it as a crisis, I see it as a kind of interesting element for the city.

“I think people need to be taken care of, and I think maybe that’s more of a question, how can we sustain these issues instead of just getting rid of people?”

A council spokesman said its neighborhood enforcement team would return to the site on June 26 to “assess whether further action is required as a result of any vehicles remaining at the site”.