SQUATTERS at the Occupy Bournemouth camp moved back onto the site just HOURS after bailiffs cleared the unauthorised encampment.

Land owner Ammar Alkhiami, who was forced to go to the courts to secure an eviction notice, said members of his family were abused by camp members who refused to leave as they continued cleaning the Exeter Road site after bailiffs cleared the camp on Tuesday.

Mr Alkhiami, a Syrian who fled to the UK to escape his country’s bloody civil war, said: “They started throwing things at us - they threw stones, they threw a five gallon water can at my son. It hit him on his leg, he can hardly walk today.”

The businessman explained that when he first spoke to people on the encampment before Christmas things were amicable.

“To start with they said ‘sorry we are on your land, but we are pushing the council to get houses’. I asked them not to stay long and they said OK. Then, a couple of days later when I went back to check, they tried to kick me off. Now they were saying ‘this is our land’.

“This land costs a lot and we were planning to start developing it soon. What if you returned to your house after a couple of days and there was someone else living there saying it was theirs?

“We are investors in Bournemouth. I’m paying my taxes, trying to create jobs. The way I’ve been treated by these people is horrible.”

Mr Alkhiami, who says his family has even been threatened by some of the squatters, added: “Believe me, I feel sorry for anyone who is really in a bad situation, but there are jobs and opportunities out there for those who want them.” Yesterday, the Echo spotted a number of protesters back on the plot. The land owners are now taking legal advice.

Bournemouth council funds St Mungo’s to deliver the Rough Sleeper Team, which works to get people off the streets into safe and sustainable accommodation. A number of hostels are supported in Bournemouth for this purpose.

“We work very closely with many other agencies including social services, drug and alcohol treatment and healthcare teams to ensure any additional needs, such as physical and mental health issues, can also be addressed,” explained a council spokesman.