BASILDON Council’s Labour boss is hoping to win the war on illegal traveller camps by spending £30,000 on bollards and CCTV to keep them under check.

Gavin Callaghan, leader of Basildon’s Labour Party, told the Echo he wants to tackle the issue of roaming travellers blighting the borough’s communities head on with new cash in the 2018 budget.

He wants to build on previous success of finding out where travellers camps can spring up and quickly having injunctions granted to move them on as swiftly as possible.

In the draft budget, £10,000 has been allocated for new bollards to be built in high-risk areas and CCTV to be installed at Wickford Memorial Park, Northlands Park in Pitsea and Nevendon Park in Wickford.

He said: “The £10,000 budget for the bollards I hope will act as a deterrent for some of these areas.

“Bollards would hopefully act as a deterrent at Hannakins Farm, in Billericay, which we have an issue with at the moment.

“I have had calls from twice this morning from residents of Billericay who are affected by Hannakins and if we give them a choice between a bollard or a week’s worth of illegal encampments, I know which one they are going to choose.”

Mr Callaghan could not confirm how many bollards the budget would allow for.

This £30,000 to combat illegal traveller camps is added to millions that Basildon Council has already spent across the years, since the notorious Dale Farm camp, which was evicted in 2011.

He said: “We are extremely efficient and effective in identifying possible sites where illegal encampments can develop.

“It was specifically around industrial areas such as Cranes Farm Road which we pointed out. We did get an injunction and we were granted that by the high court to stop those encampments. We asked if that could be extended to include Rushley and Church Hill in Laindon.

“All across that corridor on the A127, we have greater protections.

“It was a real victory and a real success for the council.”

Previous cash has been spent on enforcement officers at Hovefields to move encampments out of the borough.