A family camp run by a local church has been held each summer for over 30 years. Now it might be forced to close. Police told the organisers that they must register everyone who enters the site even for a day. Everyone must be issued with wristbands as proof that they are entitled to be there. Background checks must be made on all the people who volunteer to help, even if it's just to wash the dishes.

Apparently there is no actual legal requirement for registering all the visitors, or for background checks on anyone other than those who will be organising the kids events, etc. These are only guidlines which the local police are interpreting in their own way. They have insisted that this is done or they will object to the camp being held as they claim they have the right to prevent large gatherings.

Due to the pressure put on them by the police, the organisers will likely not hold any further summer camps. Several hundred families have attended the camp as a regular part of their summer holidays and it will be greatly missed. There has never been any trouble connected with the camp - until the police decided to cause some.

I find that very sad - and very worrying.

Flipping heck - this is totally unbelieveable ????

Surely this is not happening.

Have you a link to a newspaper report or website that can confirm this.

If there is no LAW - then surely the Camp is under no threat - surely the POLICE are acting outside the law and therefore could be sued for harassment.

Since when have people had to register their summer holidays with the Police ?

Is this an attack on these churches ? or on Christianity ?

This is truly a shocking story if true......

Systematically tearing down the fabric of society.

Outrageous.They should demand in return everyone staying at the Ritz or Dorchestor wear wrist bands as well.

Come to think of it..that will probably happen one day.

This really should be covered by the press. As JK would say - "this is a story".......

I am still totally stunned by this. It goes much further than kettling protesters. This strikes at peoples' day to day freedom to have holidays and go where they want.

I knew this is what the Police "wanted" but did not expect them to start flexing these sorts of "ideas" so soon ?

There has been no media coverage of this event. The church which is independent, has attempted to run the camp as normally as possible, but there is discussion as to whether it has a future if the police are to continue scrutinising the event in this way. It spoils the atmosphere.

The camp is near to Thirsk in North Yorkshire.

My thoughts go back to a recent incident where a man's 30th birthday party was decended on by camouflaged police in vans and helicopter. I think that was reported on here a couple of weeks ago. Are all privately organised gatherings, of any kind, to be treated in this way from now on?

The treatment of the summer camp is not as bad as that, but it does show a shift in the way this country is run, and shows the lack of respect the authorities have for the people. To add balance it appears that the police have not specifically ordered that these steps be taken by the camp organisers; they have merely given the impression that these are rules to be obeyed and that life would be much easier if the organisers complied. But it is all in how a message is delivered and interpreted. Modern day police can be rather menacing.

Even if the media do report on such things, it doesn't change anything. Most of us are aware that it happens. We grumble but accept it as inevitable.

You put it nicely JC.

creeping totalitarianism.

At a meeting yesterday I was suprised to hear loads of ordinary people start to speak out about the lack of freedom in the UK. The meeting had nothing to do with that. It seems that all of us have a pent up frustration about what is happening but we have NO LEADERSHIP at all from the TORY PARTY or LIBERALS or any other group.

The PEOPLE seem to be ready for a peaceful revolution against this fascist state. But we need a leader. It is such a shame for all his niceness - Cameron is a weak personality.

you are right BR but it seems to me that British politician's are still in the grasp of the tabloid media.

No matter what you think of these 2 politicians-Barack Obama and Kevin Rudd have both set out to exclude and thumb their noses mainly at the Murdoch media-and it's worked.

Both had good reasons too as Murdoch's media empire conducted relentless campaigns against their campaigns but they still won convincingly and know they no longer need them.

And like all bullies, when confronted they lash out wildly and people see them for what they are-just bullies who eventually slink away.