The Sundridge incident is part of a 'tried-and-tested modus operandi' involving land grabs in three counties over the four-day weekend, according to multiple reports. Travellers exploit bank holidays when councils are closed to flout planning rules and apply for retrospective permission, a pattern observed in several locations. In Sundridge, Kent, travellers brought diggers under cover of darkness on Friday, spread rubble, and had up to 30 lorries arrive in a 'military style' operation, multiple reports indicate.
Similarly, in Flamstead, Hertfordshire, heavy machinery was moved in on Thursday night, and concrete was laid on a field in the Chilterns AONB, according to major media sources. In Sundridge, a one-acre field was sold at auction in September for £167,000 after having a reserve price of £60,000, multiple reports show. Travellers occupied the Sundridge field over Easter, causing uproar in the community, and the field was sold at auction to Miles Martin Connors, with Sevenoaks District Council confirming the travellers legally own it.
Sevenoaks District Council issued a Temporary Stop Notice for the Sundridge site, requiring travellers to apply for retrospective planning permission. John Evans, chairman of the Sundridge parish council, was unfairly blamed for selling the site to travellers and accused of money laundering, according to multiple reports. Rumours circulated that the new residents in Sundridge were part of a clan jailed for slavery, but these were unfounded, major media sources state.
Controversies in Sundridge escalated with a static home on a truck becoming wedged in a country lane, blocking the road until early Monday, multiple reports indicate. James Evans, son of John Evans, was arrested for obstructing police by telling locals to ignore requests to move cars, according to major media. Residents accuse police of 'aiding and abetting' travellers after the static caravan blocked a road until 4am on Monday, a claim that highlights tensions between official statements and local perceptions.
In Overseal, Derbyshire, travellers set up an illegal camp during the August bank holiday in 2023, making residents' lives miserable for eight months, multiple reports show. Michael Andrew Connors paid £60,000 for the Overseal plot in June 2023, according to Land Registry documents. Locals in Overseal accuse travellers of verbal abuse, intimidation by shining lights into homes, striking a gas pipe causing a major leak, and burying waste, according to residents.
South Derbyshire District Council rejected the travellers' retrospective planning application in Overseal after over 100 objections, major media sources report. The Overseal site currently has three caravans and a digger, with residents claiming foreign workers are dropped off late at night, according to multiple reports. In Flamstead, Hertfordshire, residents tried to stop the incomers but were met by thugs wielding iron bars, villagers claim.
Police are investigating threatening behaviour, criminal damage, and illegal tree felling at the Flamstead site, multiple reports indicate. Flamstead residents claim travellers damaged parked cars, a police car, local roads, and wildlife, and used missing number plates, according to residents. Around 300 trips were made delivering materials to the Flamstead site, and a police car was rammed off the road, residents report.
Trees were felled illegally in Flamstead, temporarily blocking Friendless Lane, major media sources state. The legal and planning context in Flamstead involves police limitations and council actions. Police in Flamstead said they could intervene to prevent breaches of the peace but have no enforcement powers to stop access or building work, according to official statements.
Dacorum Borough Council escalated the Flamstead case to the High Court, classifying it as an 'unauthorised encampment', multiple reports show. The council submitted a planning application for 14 Gypsy and Traveller pitches in Flamstead on April 7, according to major media. The legal battle for Flamstead continues, with a review scheduled for May 7, multiple reports indicate.
We are the real victims, unfairly portrayed, and want to establish a permanent home with facilities for children.
Details from Flamstead reveal significant community impact. Construction vehicles filled with aggregate and equipment began descending onto Flamstead village around 6pm on Thursday (April 2), according to local reports. The vehicles were destined for a site known as Cotton Spring off Friendless Lane, research indicates.
The land is on green belt and included under Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), research shows. Flamstead Parish Council confirmed no known planning permission had been granted for the development. Images from the encampment showed aggregate laid down, construction vehicles, caravans, and cars on the land, according to research.
Photos evidence claims that Friendless Lane was blocked by vehicles heading to and from the unauthorized building site, research indicates. Residents alerted Dacorum Borough Council and MP Victoria Collins to seek a solution, research shows. In Flamstead, an emergency injunction was applied for and granted by the court to halt building, Dacorum Borough Council confirmed.
The council served papers on site prohibiting any unauthorized works or use of the site, a spokesperson said. Despite the injunction, works have continued, prompting lawful protests from residents on Sunday night, research indicates. There are suggestions a fallen tree was used to block the road, which has now been removed, according to research.
An altercation between those in construction vehicles and villagers is said to have taken place, with protesters eventually dispersing, research shows. In Alfold, Surrey, travellers moved in over Easter, creating a 17-plot 'gated community' with 21 caravans and five static homes, multiple reports indicate. Residents in Alfold reported construction work until early hours, with lights visible at night, and feel betrayed by Waverley Borough Council, according to residents.
Waverley Borough Council issued two 'stop notices' in Alfold, but work continued, major media sources report. An interim injunction was issued by the High Court for the Alfold site, ordering travellers not to further develop the camp pending a hearing, according to multiple reports. Locals in Alfold report 17 plots and about half a dozen static caravans, with round-the-clock work over Easter, according to locals.
A hearing for the Alfold case is scheduled for April 21, where travellers can present their case, major media sources state. Police investigations and legal unknowns vary across sites. Hertfordshire Constabulary is reviewing events in Flamstead and investigating allegations including criminal damage and threatening behaviour.
Surrey Police said no criminal offences have been identified at the Alfold site, and it is a planning issue led by the council. Councils in England have a statutory responsibility to assess accommodation needs for Gypsies and Travellers and identify land for sites, according to major media. Implications of these incidents highlight systemic issues.
Travellers have brought in bulldozers and ripped up green belt land in the hope the local council will be too slow to react over the Easter weekend, multiple reports indicate. Hertfordshire locals claimed they have been subjected to violent abuse and threats hurled at them by travellers first making their arrivals on Thursday night, according to residents.