Travellers pitching up illegal camps in the Canterbury district could soon be slapped a two-year jail sentence.

Fed-up city council bosses are exploring the possibility of applying for a civil injunction in a bid to stop car parks and green spaces from being taken over with caravans.

Since the beginning of 2016, there have been 19 reported incursions by travellers onto council owned land - with enforcement officers sometimes struggling to move them on.

But now, if the authority is granted the power, the crackdown will see any trespasser refusing to immediately leave being hit with a contempt of court offence.

However, not all council-owned land will be protected with an injunction. Instead, high risk sites such as Kingsmead Field, Neptune car park, Herne Bay memorial park and Beverley Meadow will be the locations which will prove costly for anyone wanting to pitch up.

Currently, council powers are more constrained, with the removal of travellers sometimes being a long drawn-out process. If early negotiations are not successful, the travellers are issued with a public order demanding them to leave. Either failing to move or returning to the land within a three-month period are punishable with a fine of up to £1,000.

The council's head of safer neighbourhoods Doug Rattray is helping put forward the bid for a firmer and more cost effective punishment.

"The cost of enforcement and repairing damage that may be caused by unauthorised sites is often high and enforcement action can sometimes take a long time," he said.

"Some unauthorised sites can be highly damaging to the settled community and travellers alike. They bring uncertainty and disruption, damage trust in the planning system and strain community relations.

"A negotiated solution which avoids confrontation is often the best way to manage a situation and works well for many authorities. However, there are some strong and wide ranging powers available to deal with unauthorised developments, unauthorised encampments and anti-social behaviour."

Recently, the district's ongoing traveller dilemma was highlighted with camps being set up in Herne Bay. A group arrived in Neptune car park before joining others in the town's memorial gardens. The combined group then moved along the seafront to an area in Hampton before leaving.

Other local authorities across the country including Harlow, Lincolnshire and Boston have been successful in obtaining the injunction order and now Canterbury wants to follow suit. The bid to apply was set to have been discussed by councillors at last night's policy and resources committee meeting.

Mr Rattray added: "Once we have collated the evidence and sought advice, the council intends to make an application.

"Anyone illegally parking either a caravan or mobile home on the areas covered would be in breach of that injunction and should leave immediately

"It is an offence which carries numerous sanctions, which could include up to two years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine."