Travellers have destroyed a leafy village in a two-day “military-scale” operation.
A group of travellers waited until council offices began to close at 4.45pm on Friday on September 11 to close in on land at the edge of Hillam, North Yorkshire.
The patch of land, bought as a grazing paddock for horses, was trampled by a mass of lorries as the grass was stripped and covered with concrete rubble, stones and bricks.
Tall fences were erected as neighbours desperately called North Yorskhire County Council to halt the development, but no officials were available over the weekend.
Septic tanks were also brought in to handle the waste from the dozens of caravans which quickly rushed the site.
Residents said wildlife, including deer, had been driven away by the commotion, and stray dogs from the camp were now causing problems.
Tim Grogan, the North Yorkshire county councillor for the village, told The Telegraph: “It was planned and executed incredibly fast, it was an operation conducted on a military scale.
“They knew that if they started work on the Friday afternoon they would be able to continue for the entire weekend with no council action to stop them.”
Tall fences were erected as neighbours desperately called North Yorskhire County Council to halt the development
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He said people in the village were now “devastated”, adding that he heard of two families whose house sales fell through since the establishment of the site.
Much of the work was built on September 12 and 13, but it took the council another week to serve a stop notice and prevent further construction.
Sir James Cleverly, the former Shadow Housing Secretary, has previously warned of travellers establishing camps in a single weekend – including in how own constituency – and abusing retrospective planning applications.
Dean McKeown, 66, is a neighbour to the site and claims the council’s order has been ignored.
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He said: “The council eventually served them with a notice but I can see from my property that the work is still going on.
“It’s a disaster for the village. I had my own property on the market but the likelihood now is that the sale will fall through and I’m not the only one in that position.
“When I look out now at what has suddenly been built in the middle of the Yorkshire countryside I’m still a little in shock, it looks awful and it won’t be getting taken down any time soon.”
The travellers are now applying for retroactive planning permission and were confident their legal representation was “better than the council’s”, Mr McKeown added.
Last month, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner relaxed building rules, raising fears travellers may now easily receive retrospective planning approval.
Sir James Cleverly has previously warned of travellers establishing camps in a single weekend
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PANic Harne, North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director for community development, said: “On Saturday, we secured an interim injunction from the High Court preventing any further unauthorised development at the site.
“The injunction prohibits any further caravans being brought onto the land, the construction of additional structures, the installation of services or drainage, and the importation of materials or laying of hardstanding.
“We recognise the concern caused within the local community and have kept elected members and the parish council informed throughout and we will continue to provide updates as the case progresses.
“The court has listed a further hearing in a month’s time to determine whether the interim injunction should continue in place.
“We will continue to take all appropriate action available to us to protect the interests of residents, ensure compliance with planning law and pursue matters through the courts where necessary.”