The Sundridge incident was part of a 'land grab' modus operandi involving three counties over the Easter weekend, according to multiple reports. In Sundridge, Kent, a one-acre field was sold at auction in September or October for £167,000 after having a reserve price of £60,000, with the buyer identified as Miles Martin Connors. Travellers occupied the field over Easter, causing uproar in the community, and a static home became wedged in a country lane, blocking the road until early Monday and leading to a confrontation with police.
James Evans, son of John Evans, was arrested for obstructing police by telling locals to ignore requests to move cars, and another resident was arrested for obstructing the highway during the incident. In Sundridge, travellers moved onto green belt land and carried out work without planning permission, using diggers under cover of darkness on Friday to spread rubble and create hard standing, with up to 30 lorries involved. Residents accused police of 'aiding and abetting' travellers by facilitating their move.
Sevenoaks District Council issued a Temporary Stop Notice for the site, but enforcement challenges persisted amid the unauthorized development. In Flamstead, Hertfordshire, travellers moved in heavy machinery on Thursday night and laid concrete on an AONB field. Construction vehicles filled with aggregate and equipment began descending onto Flamstead village around 6pm on Thursday, destined for a site known as Cotton Spring off Friendless Lane, with the land on green belt and included under Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Residents were met by thugs wielding iron bars when they tried to stop the travellers, and travellers damaged parked cars and a police car, and felled trees illegally. Flamstead Parish Council confirmed no known planning permission had been granted for the development. Police in Flamstead said they could intervene to prevent breaches of the peace but had no enforcement powers to stop access or building work.
Dacorum Borough Council issued a temporary stop notice for the Flamstead site, but work continued. On Sunday, Dacorum Borough Council confirmed an emergency injunction had been applied for and granted by the court to halt building on the site, and the council served papers on site prohibiting any unauthorized works or use of the site. Despite the injunction, works have continued, prompting lawful protests from some residents on Sunday night.
In Alfold, Surrey, travellers moved in over Easter, creating a 17-plot gated community with 21 caravans and five static homes. Waverley Borough Council issued stop notices for the Alfold site, but they were ignored, and an interim injunction was issued by the High Court, preventing further development pending a hearing on April 21. Residents reported construction work day and night, with bright lights and generators causing disturbance, while Surrey Police said no criminal offences were identified at the site, and it is a planning issue led by the council.
Travellers exploit bank holidays when councils are closed to avoid enforcement of planning rules, and retrospective planning permission can be applied for after unauthorized work, which travellers use to their advantage. 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. In Overseal, Derbyshire, travellers set up an illegal camp in August 2023, making residents' lives miserable for eight months, with Michael Andrew Connors paying £60,000 for the plot in June 2023.
Locals accused travellers of verbal abuse, intimidation, striking a gas pipe, burying waste, and having unattended blazes. South Derbyshire District Council rejected a retrospective planning application for the site. Conservative MPs and officials, including Laura Trott, are calling for law changes to prevent retrospective planning applications after flagrant breaches.
Councils in England have a statutory responsibility to assess accommodation needs for Gypsies and Travellers to reduce unauthorized developments. 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.
Images from the encampment showed aggregate laid down, construction vehicles, caravans, and cars on the land, and photos evidence claims that Friendless Lane was blocked by vehicles heading to and from the unauthorized building site. Residents alerted Dacorum Borough Council and MP Victoria Collins to seek a solution. There are suggestions a fallen tree was used to block the road, but it has now been removed, and an altercation between those in construction vehicles and villagers is said to have taken place, with protesters eventually dispersing.
Hertfordshire Constabulary confirmed a police presence was posted in Flamstead during and following the incident. Hertfordshire locals claimed they have been subjected to violent abuse and threats hurled at them by a whole load of travellers first making their arrivals on Thursday night. The current status of enforcement actions and legal proceedings across all three sites remains uncertain.
How many travellers are involved in total across the three counties, and whether they are coordinated or acting independently, is also unknown. Political pressure is mounting and community resilience is being tested as these incidents unfold.