COUNCIL officials have warned squatters at the Occupy site in Boscombe to stop building bonfires or face court action.

An enforcement notice has been pinned up outside the former coal yard in Ashley Road after "many complaints" about activity on the land.

A spokesperson from the council said: "We received many complaints last week about this site from multiple sources who were directly affected by the smoke emitting from the fires.

"The council has a statutory duty to investigate such complaints."

Bailiffs have yet to take steps to evict the site, almost a month after the owners Brightmark Ltd were granted an injunction to repossess the land.

Representatives for the company appeared at Bournemouth and Poole County Court in early February in a bid to reclaim the site.

"Smoke from the bonfires, which were of large size and close to the highway, was significant enough to be likely to cause a nuisance to neighbouring properties," the council spokesperson said.

"Therefore, coupled with the complaints and the requirement for attendance by the fire service due to the scale and circumstances, it was deemed necessary and proportionate to serve notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to prevent recurrence.

“The matter of possession of this land is a private one being dealt with by the land owners. It was necessary for the council to take this action alongside the actions of the land owners.”

As reported in the Daily Echo, firefighters were called to blazes at the site twice in just three days in mid-February.

The sanctuary has no electricity or running water. Those who stay on the land depend on donations of water, food and warm clothing from companies and members of the public.

The enforcement notice, addressed to ‘the occupants of 100 Ashley Road’, requires squatters to stop building and lighting bonfires or face court action. Anyone who contravenes the order can be fined.