TRAVELLERS at Dale Farm in Crays Hill have made their first bid to move outside the district.

Campaigners for the site have identified land for sale outside Basildon Council’s boundary, where some of the 86 families facing eviction would be prepared to move.

Their spokesman, Grattan Puxon, is writing to Basildon Council, giving full details of a 3.3acre site in mid-Essex, currently on the market, which could house families from Crays Hill.

Mr Puxon refused to say exactly where they were looking, but it could be anywhere between Chelmsford and Maldon, or even as far north as Braintree.

He said: “We will be inviting Basildon Council to work with us to approach the local authority to see if planning permission could be guaranteed, so the land can be purchased.

“We appreciate no council will welcome a site of 50 plots in its area, so will be looking at a smaller group from Dale Farm to occupy it.

“We will also be sending the letter to Billericay MP John Baron, who we are keen to work with after he approached the Government about finding alternative sites outside the district.”

Basildon Council has yet to receive the request for planning help, but leader Tony Ball maintains the authority wants to negotiate with travellers to leave by choice and will help them find alternative homes.

Meanwhile Dale Farm continues to make national headlines and earlier this week John Craven was recording footage at the site for his BBC show Countryfile, which goes out each Sunday.

Len Gridley, 50, of Oak Road, Crays Hill, is a vocal opponent of the site. He said: “John Craven interviewed me in my garden on Monday. I said the travellers are eroding the green belt with all the sites up and down the country.

“The programme is looking at a few different sites.

“Then Mr Craven went to interview Mr Puxon at the site, and council leader Tony Ball.”

Mr Ball, who will join Mr Baron to meet with the Government over the traveller issue on Monday, said the epsiode of Countryfile will go out on August 9.