Asylum seekers have moved into the Buckles Lane traveller site in South Ockendon, Essex, a location originally approved for 50 caravans in 1980 but now expanded to hundreds of static homes. The site's growth and illegal expansions have raised alarms among nearby residents, who are urging Thurrock Council to take action. The Buckles Lane site is secured by metal gates, guard dogs, surveillance cameras, and signage discouraging intruders.
Some caravans there are thought to house organised criminals, including individuals linked to county-lines drug operations and Romanian prostitution networks. In November 2024, armed officers discovered firearms and explosives in a mobile home during a raid, with the weapons belonging to a lorry driver who had been converting blank-firing weapons into guns and stockpiling gunpowder for a 'race war'. Previous criminal convictions among residents include Thomas McKenna, jailed for 16 years in February for distributing weapons to a criminal network, and Craig Phillips, sentenced to five years and 10 months in 2022 for Class A drug conspiracy.
Caravan owners at the site have advertised cheap accommodation, especially for low-paid migrants working shift patterns, with shared board averaging £320 per month paid fortnightly in cash. Nearby residents have urged Thurrock Council to crack down on the site. The exact number of asylum seekers currently living at the site and the total number of caravans remain unclear, as do the specific actions Thurrock Council has taken or plans to take in response to residents' concerns.