Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are there any restrictions on people living in campervans parked on public roads?
However, in a situation where someone is living in a vehicle, local authorities do have the power under Section 77 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 [external link] to ask people to leave the area in question. This includes being parked on a public road. This is a discretionary power and whether it is used or not would depend on the individual circumstances but a welfare assessment would have to be carried out before anyone could be asked to leave. A criminal offence only occurs if a notice to leave is served stating a date and time by which the person must leave and it is not complied with, or a person duly leaves but returns within three months. In other words, living in a vehicle on a highway is not a criminal offence although it can lead to one.
It should also be noted that Section 162 of the Highways Act 1980 makes it an offence for anyone to place a rope, wire or other apparatus across a highway in such a manner as to be likely to cause danger to others, eg extension leads running across a pavement from a house to a campervan or a washing line from a vehicle to a tree.
