TRAVELLERS are refusing to divulge personal details to Basildon Council.

Next month, the council will once again vote over whether or not to boot families off Dale Farm, Crays Hill, before the fight goes to the High Court in February.

Councillors want the most up-to-date personal details to strengthen their chances of victory and said the information was "fundamental" to their fight to clear Dale Farm.

But traveller campaigner Grattan Puxon said they saw no benefit in releasing the details and had nothing to gain.

He said there were concerns over how the information would be used after sensitive details were posted on the authority's website in 2005, as revealed in the Echo's Dole Farm expose.

He said: "The travellers are now refusing to provide any further personal information about their families.

"They say Basildon Council has already breached the UK Data Protection Act by placing health and social benefit details on its website."

Three families are seeking to sue the council after it was rapped by the Government data watchdog, the Information Com-missioner, for the publication.

Mr Puxon added: "Officials are up the creek due to the information boycott as they need the new data for the meeting next month.

"While the eviction order against 86 families still stands, collection of welfare details can have no benefit for them and would be just to tick a box for the council.

"We have written to the council asking for a valid reason why the details are needed."

Council leader Malcolm Buckley warned by not providing the details, travellers could be harming their case.

He said: "Since the debate is largely around personal circumstances they are fundamental and we will be able to show we made every effort to get the latest details."

But Dale Farm spokeswoman Kathleen McCarthy said: "This request for personal details is an abuse of our privacy. It is not being done for our good."

Europe battle

A PROMINENT traveller is taking his mission to save Dale Farm to Europe.

Dale Farm spokesman Richard Sheridan has gone to Brussels to gain support for his campaign to stop Basildon Council bulldozing the settlement.

Today, he is in talks with the International Alliance of Inhabitants, an organisation supporting homeless people which is running a zero evictions campaign.

Tomorrow, he will be lobbying a Roma conference at the European Parliament for a moratorium on all evictions until more sites are available.

The conference is expected to adopt new guidelines for the provision of about 10million Roma and travellers living in the European Union.

Mr Sheridan said: "We've been excluded for centuries.

"This is our chance to lay down a blueprint for a better future.

"My first objective is to draw attention to Basildon Council's policy of ethnic-cleansing travellers."