The caravan was left in Camley Street for two years

A CARAVAN home that had been parked in a street for two years has been removed following complaints about rubbish building up around it.

Gas canisters and mounds of belongings had been spilling out of the vehicle in Camley Street, near the junction of Barker Drive, Elm Village. Small figurines have been stationed on its roof and one window had an etched message: “Smile you are on camera” and “move away you cretins”.

The council said they had made repeated attempts to find the owner of the caravan and that its contents had been put into storage, after being contacted by the New Journal this week.

David Francis, who lives nearby, said: “It has been there for around two years. It had really got disgusting. We have been trying to get it moved away for several months.”

The caravan was parked next to a major redevelopment site in Camley Street, in the shadows of tall blocks of modern private housing in the King’s Cross regeneration scheme.

Another resident James Burchill said: “It is surprising that it has been able to stay there so long. I think it has become a bit of a dumping ground since it has become abandoned. I think at the end of the day this is someone’s home. And homes are hard to come by in Camden.”

There is no legal right to store or park a caravan indefinitely on a public street, according to information on Camden Council’s website.

Yesterday (Wednesday), a Camden Council spokesperson said: “We have been actively trying to get in contact with the owner, and anyone who has been living in the vehicle, on numerous occasions to offer housing and welfare support, but have been unable to successfully engage with people at this location.

“We recently established the owner has left the caravan and therefore have now removed it. We are storing all personal possessions for collection by their owners, while our teams remain available to provide any necessary support.”