Police investigate threats and criminal damage at travellers site

Police are investigating threatening behaviour, criminal damage and the illegal felling of trees at a travellers site that appeared overnight in a quiet Hertfordshire village. 

Officers have launched the probe after the group arrived in Flamstead on Thursday, with furious villagers watching them drive machinery onto green belt land near Friendless Lane.

The first batch of caravans appeared a few days later on the morning of Easter Sunday, as council officials were off for the bank holiday weekend.

Aerial images appear to show that the group has concreted over large patches of the land, before submitting a planning application for a massive new traveller site consisting of 14 plots and 42 caravans.

Hertfordshire Constabulary has received reports from several people involved in a dispute in the area.

Allegations made have included threatening behaviour, criminal damage, road traffic offences and illegal felling of trees.

Flamstead residents have claimed the large vehicles used by the group have damaged local roads and had missing number plates.

They added the group used 'sheer force' to make their way onto the site, damaging parked cars and even a police car. 

Those involved were also accused of causing damage to 'local wildlife and trees, including branches being cut off trees while their caravans were brought onto the site'.

The investigation is ongoing and police are appealing for anyone with information or footage of the alleged incidents to get in touch. 

Work still appears to be underway on the site, which already houses more than a dozen caravans, with plans for more measuring up to 55ft long. 

The group has laid down huge squares of concrete on the land, which sits within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and is surrounded by rolling fields and woodland.

It is thought that the travellers chose the Easter weekend to move in due to the two bank holidays making it likely that authorities would be slower to react.

Residents estimated that around 300 trips were made by individuals delivering materials onto the site. In one incident, a police car was rammed off the road in the process, it was claimed. 

Anger was also sparked after trees were said to have been felled illegally and temporarily left blocking access to Friendless Lane. The trees have since been removed. 

One parish councillor told the Telegraph: 'At about 7 o'clock (on Sunday), a whole load of travellers barged their way through.

'There was a lot of violent abuse and threats, people wielding iron bars, a few cars damaged, they drove into a police car and drove past. They started to bring in lorryloads of crushed concrete.'

One resident told the BBC: 'The vans and caravans drove at us basically pushing their way through and bumping into people.

'They were determined to get through us and were really aggressive. It was absolutely horrendous.'

Caravans arrived days later despite Dacorum Borough Council issuing a temporary stop notice - a planning enforcement tool used to halt work - on Saturday.

The group has now applied for planning permission to turn the Green Belt site from agricultural land to a Gypsy and Traveller site, consisting of 14 pitches.

Each pitch will have space for one permanent mobile home, two touring caravans and one 'day room'.

According to the plans, the mobile homes would typically be 55ft long and 14ft wide, and the site would also see the construction of amenity buildings measuring four metres tall.

The agent submitting the application claimed that work had not yet started on the site - but dated April 6, locals have pointed out that construction actually began four days prior, on April 2. 

There are already more than 40 objections to the application. 

One read: 'I feel the conduct of the applicants has been a disgrace, with sheer force being used as well as abusing the system by choosing a bank holiday to force their way onto the site. 

'During the time when the site was having aggregates loaded, the surrounding roads which were not suitable for such large vehicles were damaged by overweight vehicles. 

'One of these vehicles was also making deliveries minus its front number plate.

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'When the initial caravans were brought onto the site, force was used by the applicants which caused damage to nearby parked cars, threats were made towards local people and a police car was damaged when it was shunted off the road by the applicants. 

'As well as this damage to property, the applicants have damaged local wildlife and trees, including branches being cut off trees while their caravans were brought onto the site.'

Others described the local area as being 'brutalised' and unsuited to a 'large influx of people'. 

One person wrote: 'Retrospective applications should not be used to circumvent proper planning control.

'The proposal is out of character in the area, destroying traditional field patterns. The unauthorised development has a negative visual impact on the landscape and locality.

'The development is wholly inappropriate and incompatible with the design of existing buildings on Friendless Lane. It has resulted in the loss of high-quality agricultural land and conflicts with the character of the area.'

Dacorum Chief Inspector Paul Stanbridge said: 'The allegations were made following unauthorised building works on land in the area. The building works themselves are a civil planning matter and police have no powers to prevent it taking place.

'Our role is to ensure public safety, prevent a breach of the peace and investigate any reports of criminal activity.

'We've already spoken with several people as part of our enquiries and are urging anyone else with information to please report it directly to police.

'Updates and further information can be found on the Dacorum Borough Council website.'

Police are asking that anyone with information or video footage contact the force by reporting online, calling 101 of phoning Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Earlier this week, local Liberal Democrat MP Victoria Collins said in a statement: 'My understanding is that Dacorum Council are working actively with the Police on the next steps, rightly following due process. This temporary Stop Notice is the first step to ensuring that the right legal action is taken against unauthorised work.

'The activity on this site has caused much distress to local people and damaged land in our precious Chiltern Landscape. 

'This swift action over the Easter Weekend shows what can be done when the community, local representatives and authorities come together and continue to work together. We will keep residents updated.'

A statement released by Dacorum Borough Council read: 'We were informed of unauthorised hardcore being laid on the privately owned land on Friendless Lane, Flamstead, Hertfordshire on Friday 3 April.

'We continued to assess the situation and, due to the scale and speed of the work taking place within the Chilterns National Landscape, served a temporary stop notice on Saturday 4 April requiring works on the site to cease immediately. This is a formal legal step, and any breach of this notice may result in further enforcement action.

'We continued to investigate and gather evidence with the intention to take further immediate legal action if necessary.

'Today (Sunday 5 April) Dacorum Borough Council submitted an application to the court for an emergency injunction for the site. This order was successfully granted by the court and the Council served the papers on the site today prohibiting any unauthorised works or use of the site.

'We now must wait for the court scheduled hearing date before further legal proceedings can take place.'