Image source, John Fairhall/BBC
This tract successful Wickford, Essex, lone has support for 7 mobile homes
By
BBC East governmental correspondent
The fig of unauthorised Gypsy and traveller sites is connected the rise, with developments often carried retired implicit Bank Holiday weekends.
Since April, sites successful Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and elsewhere person been transformed, prompting ineligible battles and section dismay.
In January, the fig of unauthorised traveller caravans – those without readying support – crossed England stood astatine 4,950, a 73% summation connected January 2020's fig of 2,860.
The summertime number besides shows a rise, of 44% betwixt July 2019 and July 2025, from 3,113 to 4,471.
A elder councillor successful 1 affected country warns determination has been a "loss of control" of the readying system, portion villagers surviving adjacent 1 tract likened its accelerated operation to a "military operation".
The authorities says unauthorised improvement is "totally unacceptable" and that councils person "strong powers" to tackle it.
But Cliff Codona, who founded and chairs the National Travellers' Action Group, says the readying strategy is similar a "big dagger successful their back" for travellers, leaving them nary enactment but to "break the law".
So what bash travellers accidental is driving immoderate to enactment unlawfully, and what bash others think?
Image source, Ben Schofield/BBC
Clifford Codona present lives with his household adjacent Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
When Codona moved connected to what has go his family's caravan site, conscionable extracurricular Elm, adjacent Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, successful 2020, helium did not person readying permission.
"We pulled down connected a Friday evening erstwhile we knew the assembly was each closed up and we conscionable took it for granted that this is however things get done," helium recalls.
"As soon arsenic they cognize you're a Gypsy," helium says, a readying exertion is "stopped – dormant successful its tracks".
Image source, Ben Schofield/BBC
Codona did not person readying support erstwhile helium archetypal moved connected to his existent plot
After starting enactment astatine their site, Codona and household made a "part-retrospective" readying exertion that was aboriginal approved by a readying committee, contempt the parish assembly saying it was an "unsustainable location".
He says they person worked hard to beryllium bully neighbours, but admits "to enactment a Gypsy tract present is precise naughty".
Codona claims to person been evicted 50 times successful his life, which helium says was "horrific" and similar going done "hell and back".
"We've broke the instrumentality – I'll admit to you present contiguous I've done everything... to unrecorded connected onshore and get support to beryllium there," helium says.
Codona, pictured successful 2002, claims to person been evicted 50 times, including from this tract adjacent Hatch, Bedfordshire
Codona, who has Gypsy and travelling showman heritage, recalls that travellers would get onshore successful "covert" ways.
"We would person to enactment a raincoat on, sunglasses oregon whatever, descent ourselves into an auction [and] hold for the spot to travel up for sale."
More recently, online auctions are "even better... fantastic" for travellers, helium says.
Image source, Ben Schofield/BBC
Codona says determination is much request for Gypsy and traveller caravans due to the fact that the colonisation is increasing
Codona, who has 14 grandchildren and a great-grandchild, says much caravans are the effect of a increasing Gypsy and traveller colonisation .
In July 2019, councils crossed England counted 23,636 traveller caravans.
By July 2025, determination were 28,659 – a 21% increase.
But the fig of caravans without readying support roseate overmuch faster.
Image source, Ben Schofield/BBC
George Jeffery enactment guardant a question calling for assembly officials to "pursue each lawful and proportionate compliance options" against the improvement astatine Newlands Road
Last summer, officials successful Basildon, Essex, counted much unauthorised caravans than anyplace other successful England.
Between July 2019 and July 2025, the fig of unauthorised caravans successful Basildon roseate 164%.
Its wintertime number showed a year-on-year autumn betwixt 2025 and 2026, but up 14% compared to January 2020.
George Jeffery, a Conservative subordinate of the section council's cabinet, fears a "lack of enforcement" means the authorization has been seen arsenic a "soft touch".
The borough has had to woody with the contented before.
Eighty families were forcibly evicted from a tract astatine Dale Farm successful an cognition that concluded astir 15 years ago.
Jeffery does not regularisation retired needing to telephone connected "police resources to support the peace" erstwhile again.
"Basildon should beryllium robust and tackle it caput connected and not beryllium acrophobic to usage the afloat grade of the powers disposable to it," helium says.
He does not privation to item immoderate peculiar assemblage and says helium is against each unauthorised building.
He has highlighted a tract astatine the extremity of Newlands Road, Wickford, that has flouted readying laws for years.
It had support for 1 static and 1 touring caravan but gathering enactment took spot betwixt astir 2018 and 2022.
Basildon Borough Council issued readying enforcement notices but was challenged astatine a nationalist inquiry.
A readying inspector ruled 5 caravans could enactment crossed 2 plots, giving 16 months for the remaining caravans, hardstanding and portion of a roadworthy to go.
That deadline passed successful July 2025, but much than a twelve caravans and infrastructure remain.
On 3 August, the assembly granted support for 2 much mobile homes connected 1 different plot.
Land Registry records amusement the tract has been divided up and sold to respective owners.
One crippled changed hands successful June for a reported £100,000.
Some radical surviving adjacent Newlands Road said they were present struggling to merchantability their homes.
Neighbours person complained astir fires and for months determination was a changeless hum from electrical generators.
Jeffery believes determination is simply a "two-tier readying system", with rules applied unfairly.
Image source, Supplied
There person been fires connected the tract successful 2022 (left) and 2025 (right)
In November, helium projected a assembly motion, which was amended earlier being passed, asking officials to gully up proposals for a "full scope of enforcement routes" for the site.
The assembly is considering applying for a tribunal injunction to unit the owners and occupants to comply with the enforcement notices.
The BBC has made efforts to interaction the owners and occupants but has received nary response.
The assembly said it could not remark "as doing truthful could prejudice ongoing ineligible enforcement proceedings".
Image source, Rob Trigg/BBC
Matthew Green said councils should marque definite determination are capable pitches for Gypsies and travellers successful their areas
Matthew Green, a readying advisor who represented 1 of the site's residents astatine the 2023 readying inquiry, says councils could "get an injunction and get the radical removed" if enforcement notices were not complied with.
"But," helium asks, "if they spell somewhere, wherever bash they go?
"The reply is reasonably straightforward: the assembly person to guarantee – arsenic is their work – that determination are capable pitches with readying support successful their country to conscionable the needs of radical residing successful their area."
In a study from February, assembly officials said determination was a "shortfall" successful the proviso of "suitable and deliverable Gypsy and traveller sites" successful Basildon.
The borough has not updated its section plan, which guides caller development, since 1999, prompting intervention, external from the lodging curate past month.
In 2024, analysts concluded, external that by 2042 Basildon would request capable pitches to location 302 Gypsy and traveller households.
Between April 2023 and February 2026, support was granted for 31 caller Gypsy and traveller pitches.
Image source, The Planning Inspectorate
After a readying entreaty determination successful 2024, lone plots 1 and 3 (left) astatine the Newlands Road tract had readying permission, on with an entree roadworthy to crippled 3 (shown successful green, right), portion the remaining plots did not. Plot 2 was fixed support for 2 mobile homes connected 3 August
But Green advises it is "foolish" to make onshore without support due to the fact that it "reduces... chances" of getting enactment yet approved.
The authorities is looking astatine strengthening nationalist readying argumentation connected "intentional unauthorised development", peculiarly for retrospective readying applications.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it was "important that each Gypsy and traveller communities person entree to safe, suitable sites – and councils indispensable guarantee they conscionable the needs of the assemblage successful their area".
"We're besides wide that unauthorised developments are wholly unacceptable, and we've fixed councils similar Basildon beardown powers to tackle these including moving intimately with the constabulary and taking tribunal action."
For Codona, who is present surviving a quieter life, surrounded by his family, determination is "no inducement successful the readying system" for capable sites to beryllium approved.
But helium adds: "We don't privation to archer lies; we don't privation to interruption the laws.
"We don't privation to determination connected to bits of onshore and person hellhole to wage till we tin get to unrecorded there."
Image source, Supplied
A assembly has won a High Court combat implicit an unauthorised traveller campy successful Flamstead
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