Final plea ahead of Dale Farm eviction
Farmers are being urged to take sensible precautions ahead of the eviction of up to 400 travellers from an illegal site in south-east England.
Contractors working on behalf of Basildon Council are set to evict the travellers from Dale Farm in Essex on Monday (19 September).
This will involve the removal of caravans and mobile homes ahead of digging up hard standings, roads and outbuildings.
Landowners near the site fear evicted travellers could move out and set up camp on nearby farmland.
They have been trying to protect their land by locking farm gates and blocking field entrances with machinery.
Council leader Tony Ball acknowledged there was a risk that the travellers would set up again illegally.
But the site had been illegally developed and must be cleared, he insisted.
“We have exhausted the judicial process and made every effort to negotiate. We have no option but to resort to direct action to clear the site.”
Some caravans and mobile homes have already left the site.
The NFU has circulated police advice to union members in Essex and neighbouring counties.
Farmers could take a number of practical steps to prevent trespassers entering their land, said the union.
These included blocking field entrances, putting chains and locks on gates, digging ditches and removing cattle grids.
But any measures taken to obstruct entry should be reasonable in the circumstances and should not endanger lives, the NFU warned.
“Landowners and occupiers can be liable for injury to and loss sustained by trespassers as a result of known hazards on the land.”
Where will the travellers go? Farmers Weekly reporter Johann Tasker interviews the travellers in their own homes.
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