TEIGNBRIDGE District Council dealt with 12 unauthorised encampments last year, with the average cost of handling each one estimated at more than £2,500.

The figures, released following a Freedom of Information request by the Mid-Devon Advertiser, show the council recorded 12 encampments in the 2025/26 financial year.

It obtained court orders in nine of those cases.

The council said it could not provide an accurate breakdown of its total spending on unauthorised encampments for each financial year requested, as the costs are not recorded in a way that would allow this information to be collated.

However, it has recently calculated an average cost of £2,638 per encampment.

This includes £1,628 for waste and cleansing, £376 for site visits and reports, £230 in legal team costs and £404 for County Court possession claims.

Based on this average, dealing with 12 encampments would equate to upwards of £30,000.

The council's figures show six unauthorised encampments were recorded in 2022/23, rising to eight in 2023/24 and the same number in 2024/25, before rising to 12 in 2025/26.

And four incidents have been recorded so far in 2026/27.

The council obtained court orders in three of these cases.

An unauthorised encampment is defined as caravans or other vehicles on land without the consent of the landowner or occupier, constituting trespass.

An unauthorised encampment is not a criminal offence.

Where it takes action to remove an encampment, Teignbridge District Council does so in its capacity as landowner, and there is no statutory duty requiring it to act.

The council has no powers to intervene where an encampment is on private land.