I woke up to find a tent in my front garden – I had to take drastic action after brazen stranger refused to move
A MUM was left gobsmacked when she discovered a stranger had brazenly pitched a tent in her front garden overnight.
Erika White, 38, was left in disbelief when her son spotted the bizarre sight at the crack of dawn, around 6.35am.
She claims the cheeky camper had set up a makeshift home right on the lawn of their end-of-terrace house, leaving the family flabbergasted.
The baffled finance analyst, who lives in Dartford with her three children – a seven-year-old daughter and sons aged 14 and 8, decided to confront the audacious trespasser.
Erika recalled the surreal encounter: “It was the absolute audacity of it.
“My littlest boy was looking out the window to check the weather, and he said to me, ‘Mummy, there’s a tent outside’. It literally took up the whole front garden“.
Erika approached the tent and addressed the unexpected visitor.
“I went out. I didn’t want to be aggressive. He looked at me. I said, ‘Excuse me – do you realise you’re in my front garden in a tent? Could you move yourself, please?'”
To her astonishment, the sleepy camper initially ignored her polite request, making himself comfortable with a family-sized strawberry gateaux inside his tent.
Erika’s Ring doorbell camera hadn’t picked up any activity, leading her to believe the trespasser had slyly pitched his tent nearby and moved it onto her property under cover of darkness.
“I remember hearing noises around 5am, but I thought it was just the tumble dryer,” Erika said.
Despite confronting him twice – at 6.35am and again at 6.50am – the camper only decided to move on after Erika threatened to call the police. He finally packed up and left around 7.05am.
The perplexed mum speculated that the intruder might be a worker at a nearby fruit-picking farm, as many commute along the road.
Erika added, “He was presentable and didn’t seem homeless, which made it even more confusing.”
It’s an encounter Erika and her kids won’t forget anytime soon.
Elsewhere, Celebrity Chef, Gordan Ramsey was faced with freeloaders of his own when squatters vowed to stay at his posh £13million London pub… claiming the former boozer is ‘theirs’.
Meanwhile, it’s not only property’s that are left vulnerable to trespassers, this family had a devious freeloader break into their Netflix and had then left them cryptic messages.
What are the UK laws on pitching a tent?
Can you pitch a tent anywhere?
In short – no. In the UK, you can’t just pitch a tent wherever you fancy. Camping on private land, including wild areas, usually requires the landowner’s permission. There are designated camping sites across the UK where you can legally pitch a tent. These sites offer various facilities and ensure a safe and lawful camping experience.
Wild camping is mostly illegal in England and Wales because of environmental and private property concerns. Unregulated camping can harm the environment, disturb wildlife, lead to littering, and pose fire risks. It can also violate landowners’ rights and privacy.
However, the rules in Scotland are a bit different. Thanks to the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, responsible wild camping is allowed on most unenclosed land. This means you can camp in many parts of the Scottish wilderness without needing explicit permission. In contrast, in England and Wales, wild camping without the landowner’s consent is not permitted, with some exceptions in parts of Dartmoor National Park.
Always research and follow local regulations and guidelines to avoid any legal trouble.