Andy Burnham has been urged to pursue 'the Irish Option' to tackle a surge in illegal traveller sites – as he was accused of weakening existing rules. Because trespass is a civil matter, enforcement is put in the hands of councils rather than police – but Tory figures argue it should be made into a criminal offence, as it was in Ireland in 2002, so police can rapidly intervene. The latest official analysis found 4,950 caravans situated on land without planning permission in January, a 73 per cent increase compared to five years ago.Locals regularly report unauthorised traveller encampments to police, only for councils to have to navigate a lengthy legal process in order to clear the camps. Tory housing spokesman Sir James Cleverly is backing a similar measure which would make it a crime if two or more people trespass on land with a vehicle before refusing to leave when requested by the landowner. He told the Daily Mail this would 'establish a real deterrent against trespass' by leaving 'law-breaking travellers' at risk of criminal prosecution. Boris Johnson's administration passed a law that made setting up illegal camps a crime punishable by up to three months in prison. But this was struck down in 2024 by the High Court, which ruled it amounted to unlawful discrimination against travellers under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).Sir James said a new Tory government would avoid the trespass law being blocked in future by leaving the ECHR. In Ireland - a fellow signatory to the ECHR - the law has been upheld by courts against legal challenges.