2:16pm Monday 29th June 2009
HOMES were dragged away, fences smashed and paving ripped up as families of travellers were evicted from green belt land.
Bailiffs from Gravesham Council, supported by police officers, arrived at the site off White Post Lane in Sole Street at 7am today(June 29) to enforce eviction notices served in February.
The 39 people who live on the site, which includes 20 children, watched as their fences were torn down, caravans and static mobile homes dragged out, and paving ripped up by diggers.
Margaret Ford said: “We can’t believe this is happening. We have nowhere to go and don’t know what to do.”
The 36-year-old added: “Our children are going to come home from school to find their homes have gone.”
Although the travellers own the land, they have breached government green belt rules by developing on it.
Gravesham Council has prepared a site for the families off Springhead Road in Northfleet, but they have so far turned it down.
For a couple of hours after the bailiffs and police arrived, there was a stand-off while the families gathered inside their homes to decide what to do.
Then, they slowly began coming out and packing up their possessions, and one man attached his caravan to the back of his truck and drove it through a fence into the field next to the site.
Others followed, and gradually caravans, vehicles, and belongings were moved from the site to the field.
From there, the process of the static mobile homes being dragged onto the field and diggers rolling in to tear up paving began.
There had been a tense yet peaceful atmosphere, with the families and bailiffs working together to clear the site, but tempers boiled over as the first static home was dragged away.
Mrs Ford says her 57-year-old father, Martin Ward, was pinned down by the police and “sprayed in the eyes” after arguing with them.
Officers on the scene and a police spokeswoman could not confirm this incident happened or whether Mr Ward had been arrested.
Although the travellers own the field their belongings were dragged to, it is also green belt land so they cannot stay there permanently.
Mrs Ford said: “We don’t know where we’re going to go. The site the council have offered us is too small and not good enough.”
Officers from Gravesham Council have set up an advice centre for the families in St Mary’s Church hall in Manor Road.
The travellers arrived on the land over a weekend in October 2004 and set up the site.
Since then they have been locked in a lengthy legal battle with Gravesham Council, which rejected their retrospective planning applications for the site.
Speaking on Monday, council leader Councillor Mike Snelling said: “This situation has gone on long enough and I very much hope today’s actions will bring this sorry episode to a speedy and peaceful conclusion.”
“The council cannot allow planning laws to be flouted, especially on land designated as green belt.”
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