ROADSIDE traveller camps in Basildon have rocketed by more than 800 per cent since blanket injunctions were obtained in Harlow two years ago, the Echo can reveal.

There were more than 80 encampments in car parks, on public land and at industrial estates in the district during the last financial year - compared with fewer than ten in 2014/15 and 20 in 2015/16.

Alan Ball, chairman of Basildon Council’s regeneration and environment committee, said the authority is working to include new traveller pitches in its local plan.

He said: “Basildon has borne the brunt of the injunctions, Chelmsford has experienced an increase as well.

“These are not permanent sites on private land but incidents where a caravan is set up on the side of the road or public land.

“The numbers of caravans vary and they might be moved on two or three times, or go to Chelmsford and be counted in their statistics as well.”

Each encampment can cause various degrees of inconvenience to residents and the council.

In April about 40 tonnes of rubbish were dumped in front of St Nicholas Lane, Laindon, after a group of travellers with 25 caravans was served an eviction notice. The most recent encampment in Basildon saw 12 caravans pitch up at Rushley Park last week.

A new report from Essex County Council’s countywide traveller unit said at least one “prominent family group displaced by the Harlow injunction” is now increasing numbers in Basildon.

It reads: “This injunction has impacted on the remainder of Essex, with Chelmsford and Basildon mainly affected with part of the group displaced from Harlow targeting their industrial estates. “The report said families and groups have been moved by injunctions in Barking and Dagenham and are now causing flytipping problems in Essex.

Last month, Harlow renewed it “groundbreaking” High Court order, which will last until 2020.

The order bans 40 named persons from setting up unauthorised encampments on any land in Harlow and protects 322 sites across the district including parks and playgrounds, business areas, highway verges, schools, cycle tracks, previously occupied sites and some private land.

Basildon Council already has injunctions on private land off Hovefields Avenue, off the A127 in Wickford, and is fighting a drawn-out High Court battle with travellers - some of whom have been jailed for contempt.

But Mr Ball said using injunctions to protect vast swathes of public land is a different proposition. He said Basildon Council has considered similar measures, but trying for a blanket injunction would be costly and would not necessarily be successful.

He said: “These figures do tend to change annually so it’s difficult to predict. These injunctions are very, very officer-intensive and it takes a lot of time.”

Rayleigh and Wickford MP, Mark Francois, has asked minsters at the Department for Communities and Local Government to look into whether the law could be changed to make evictions easier.

He said: “If travellers set up camp it’s possible to get them to move but it can be quite a complex and lengthy process. What councils want is a range of powers at their disposal so if they do have to move them on they can do so with maximum efficiency.”

Caravan count shows numbers increasing

THE number of traveller caravans on private land in Basildon is on the rise, according to official figures.

The latest traveller caravan count, carried out by the Department for Communities and Local Government in January, found there are now 405 caravans in the district.

Of these, 269 have permanent planning permission and two have temporary planning permission.

But there are a further 116 caravans on unauthorised sites, 41 of which are “tolerated” while 59 are “not tolerated” on land owned by travellers.

There are a further 16 caravans that are “not tolerated” on land not owned by travellers.

In January 2014, before the Harlow injunction, there were a total of 325 caravans in the district.

There were 204 caravans with some form of planning permission, 78 on traveller’s own land - including 38 “tolerated” sites and 40 “not tolerated” sites - and 20 “not tolerated” caravans on land not owned by travellers.

However, this count does not show the full picture.

Last month, the Echo revealed how a site off Cranfield Park Avenue, Wickford, had grown to more than three times its permitted size.

The site, which is owned by travellers, has permission for 32 caravans.

But we obtained aerial photos that showed there now appears to be more than 100 homes on the site, including brick built bungalows, caravans and static homes - meaning official figures on caravans do not show the true scale of the issue.

Basildon Council has taken out its own High Court injunctions on parcels of land in nearby Hovefields Avenue, in Wickford - dubbed Dale Farm Mark II -but again these have been flouted by travellers who have added to the numbers since the order was issued.