Broadly speaking, to claim land by adverse possession, you will need to prove the following:-
(i) Uninterrupted factual possession of the land – i.e. a sufficient degree of exclusive physical control over the land. This will depend upon the individual circumstances of the case;
(ii) Intention to possess the land during that period of possession;
(iii) That your possession has been without the consent of the owner; and
(iv) That you have possessed the land for the requisite period of time.
To claim adverse possession, an application will usually be made to the Land Registry.