France evacuates large illegal traveller caravan camp in Vendée

On 24 July 2026, French authorities in the departments of Loire‑Atlantique and Vendée ordered the evacuation of a camp of more than 280 caravans belonging to a group of gens du voyage that had set up illegally near Guérande and in Givrand, close to Saint‑Gilles‑Croix‑de‑Vie.

Prefect Laurent Hottiaux instructed the gendarmerie to block further illegal installations. Police prevented 20 attempts, recorded 104 road‑code violations, and deployed a helicopter to monitor the site. Mayor Nicolas Criaud was told that the commercial zone could no longer be defended safely, leading to the clearance of the area.

The administrative court upheld the prefect’s expulsion order, and procedures have been launched against the illegal occupations at Guérande and other sites. The evacuation marked the end of the largest caravan settlement on the Vendée coast.