Travelers Unleash Diggers and 20 Lorries to Create Caravan Site, Igniting Fury Among Locals

RESIDENTS in a posh village have been left fuming after travellers allegedly paved over a “pristine meadow” without permission.

Livid villagers said the group took advantage of the bank holiday weekend so the council could not stop them concreting over the to build the “completely unlawful site”.

Locals have been left fuming after travellers allegedly paved over a nearby meadow without permission Credit: Solent Villagers claimed the group had taken advantage of the bank holiday to concrete over the meadow Credit: Solent

The was built in a matter of days in the village of Wivelrod, Hampshire, where house prices average £2.3million.

The villagers reported it straight away to the council and the but the works continued.

The council said it understood the frustration felt by residents and added that it was working hard to tackle within a “ponderous legal system”.

An anonymous traveller defended the move, claiming the group had gone about their previous application to occupy the site the “legal way”.

According to locals, around 20 lorries’ worth of concrete were dumped on the meadow without permission Credit: Solent The travellers are said to have delivered six septic tanks to the site Credit: Solent The travellers had previously sought permission to build on another field near to the village in 2019 but were rejected Credit: Solent Local artist Susie Greenwood said she felt helpless about the development of the site Credit: Solent

“That’s all available to see online,” they said.

“But we still got refused. After living on the roads for years, what else can we do?”

On Friday May 22, before the late , residents heard “rumbling” and “beeping”.

Locals said they saw 20 lorries and 40 men “dumping hardcore” on the .

One resident said the council told him their officers had gone home for the bank holiday and that he should call again on Tuesday.

Villagers told how the group worked into the small hours, bringing in six and “concreting over” the field before moving their in.

The locals have branded the lack of action “an outrage”, and said they fear the site will be granted retrospective .

Susie Greenwood, a 64-year-old local artist, said: “There seems to be nothing we can do about it. Law-abiding people can’t change the colour of their paint.

Despite reports to the police and council, there has been no intervention, locals say Credit: Solent Medstead residents are concerned about the construction work’s threat to local wildlife and the surrounding environment Credit: Solent

“It sends a bad message. We start to think ‘well, we will just do it – what will the council do about it?’

“There are rules in place for a reason. It was an agricultural field that’s been dug up and ripped apart. There’s no enforcement.”

She added it was “very noisy” when the moved in.

“A lot of people around here I’m just thinking I’ve got to live with it now. As long as they respect it from now on, I suppose,” she added.

“I’m more annoyed with the council. They don’t do anything so what’s the point in ? There’s got to be rules in place.”

Another local, who has lived in the village her entire life, said: “It’s a disgrace. It’s not the first time it’s happened to us.

“When they applied the whole neighbourhood got together and pitched in to pay for barristers to fight our case.”

In 2019 the had sought permission to build the site on a field they had bought near the village but the application was refused.

When they appealed the decision and took it to High Court, horrified villagers spent thousands of pounds on legal experts to stop permission being granted.

The retiree added: “The field is just not suitable. It was a pristine meadow that had so much , we had all sorts of things in there, but it will be gone now without ever coming back because they’ve gone in there and concreted over the whole field.”

Alan Milne, a retired man in his 60s from the village, said: “It’s a bloody outrage. You could hear the rumbling at 5pm on the Friday before the late May bank holiday.

“You come out and have a look and there’s 20 lorries going up and down the road and masses of machinery digging.

The building work could be heard at 5am according to some locals Credit: Solent The council claims it is working hard to counter unauthorised development but is constrained by a ‘ponderous legal system’ Credit: Solent

“They were dumping hardcore and concreting over the field. You could hear the beeping of the because it’s a quiet area.”

It comes after a group of travellers earlier in May in Clayton.

Two vehicles were even reported to have parked on the wickets themselves.

Elsewhere in Chiltington, the over a neighbouring piece of land to make way for caravans.

An East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) spokesperson said: “EHDC is doing everything in its power to tackle unauthorised development of this kind, however we, and every district council in the UK, are constrained by the ponderous legal system we must operate in.

“These legal procedures are in place for sound reasons, and due process is essential, but they severely limit the speed we can work at.

“That can lead to frustration among residents and among officers who treat these issues as a matter of urgency.

“We are committed to protecting our countryside and communities from unauthorised development and will always use the powers available to us.

The council have now served a temporary High Court injunction preventing more people moving on to the site and stopping more work being carried out.

The measure is temporary, lasting 21 days, and the council plans at the end of the month to go to the High Court for a final injunction.