A COURT ordered a community of homeless people to leave their Oxford waterside settlement by tonight.

Oxford City Council served eviction notices on six people living in five tents on the banks of the Bulstake Stream, in Osney, earlier this month.

On Friday, Oxford Magistrates’ Court ordered everyone in the settlement to leave by midnight. At least one tent was still at the site this afternoon.

Leslie Malone, 47, and girlfriend Shamen Hazzard, 35, claimed to have lived at the side of the stream for the past seven years.

Police were called five weeks ago when a tent was set alight following a drunken brawl between two visitors to the tent settlement.

Peter Bonney, of homeless organisation The Gap, said: “The couple that live there have been there for the past seven years and have never caused anyone any harm.

“This has happened because it has attracted other people and there was a bit of trouble last month. But there needs to be somewhere they can legally pitch their tents and live independently.”

The land is leased from Oxford City Council by local farmer Nicholas Frearson.

Two years ago, up to 14 rough sleepers set up home on the nearby Thames riverbank, in an area dubbed “tent city”. Campers were evicted after allegations of intimidation, noise and mess.