Basildon Council met with residents to discuss plans to halt the expansion of Hovefields traveller site.

The meeting was attended by councillors, Mark Francois MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, planning officers and members of the Hovefields Residents Association.

Jill Walsh, spokesman of the Hovefields Resident Association, said only parts of their queries were addressed and there are still unresolved matters.

She said: “Today some of our concerns were addressed while others will be addressed in the next meeting.

“I pushed for Mr Francois to lobby the government to give councils more power to stop travellers on their track when there’s illegal development.

“When a planning application has not been approved by council, the council should have the power to move travellers from the site and prohibit them from being on the site until the planning has gone through.”

“We feel the council needs to look at laws to make illegal encampment a criminal offence.

Ms Walsh added the Hovefields enforcement has been a long battle.

She said: “We have been battling this for 17 years and we have quite a stressful life down here. It shouldn’t be happening.

“We understand the council has limited resources but Basildon seems to be in excess of traveller encampment.

“There are approximately 100 travellers, and around 18 residents on Hovefields. It’s such an imbalance.”

Mr Francois told the Echo in a statement: “At the meeting I stressed the need to continue applying the law by the High Court if necessary to prevent further illegal development in the Hovefields area.

“Basildon Council has historically taken a robust line on traveller issues and it is important that people do not perceive that the council is “going soft” on traveller issues.

“If we want to avoid another Dale Farm the Council must uphold the law.”

Independent councillor Linda Allport-Hodge of the Langdon Hills ward, who also at the meeting, said: “The meeting was to address residents’ specific matters and concerns with our officers.

“The council is working within the constraints of legislation to deal with the activity.

“I think it’s fair to say that the legislation surrounding illegal encampment is very complex.

“We not only dealing with planning laws, but there’s human rights and equality matters to consider.

“We’ve asked Mr Francois to push for Basildon’s case to the secretary of state.”