Tempers flared as councillors argued over the location of 56 new traveller and gyspy pitches in Basildon last night.

Conservative councillors called for pitches to be placed on a single site in a new housing plan, instead of the proposed plan for 15 pitches in Billericay, 15 in Wickford, and 26 in Basildon.

Councillor Andy Barnes, for Laindon Park, tabled an amendment. He said: “This is not about the number of traveller pitches. It’s about their distribution, best described by councillor Baggott as the ‘fairy dust model’.

“It will likely lead to a blight on our community. I firmly believe this traveller policy is single most damaging policy in the Local Plan with far reaching consequences.

Conservative councillor Andrew Baggott, for Burstead ward, said spreading pitches out would be “bad news” for home owners, travellers and developers.

“We’re not anti traveller,” he said. “This isn't fair to the traveller community.

“We have settled traveller communities around the borough, where there are no problems at all. We have traveller incursions where we have the opposite problem.

“Having them spread out like fairy dust across the borough does not do the job.

“Go back to the hub model.”

Conservative group leader Phil Turner described the spread of pitches as a “glaring error”.

“Go back to hub model and give residents piece of mind,” he said.

The gypsy and traveller "hub" formed one of several amendment conservatives tabled while debating the borough’s new house plan.

Councillors of the ruling Labour and independent administration criticised conservatives, claiming their rejection of pitches on housing estates was "divisive".

De facto council leader Gavin Callaghan explained that traveller and gypsy pitches would be broadly spread over four sites – two either side of the A127.

“This has been a depressing ten minutes of conversion in what should be a big debate,” said the Labour councillor.

“We’re talking about 56 traveller pitches because they [the Conservatives] don’t want to talk about 20,000 homes.

“Playing to the gallery is not smart politics. They [the Conservatives] seek to divide by using gypsies and travellers.”

UKIP leader Linda Allport-Hodge said: “We’ve spoken to developers about the viability of travellers and gypsies. They do not foresee any problems.”

The amendment was voted down by majority.