[null, {"document_url": "https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/223802/20m-to-move-Dale-Farm-gypsies-50-yards", "unformatted_src": "https://cdn.images.dailystar.co.uk/dynamic/1/281x351/223802_1.jpg", "src": "https://cdn.images.dailystar.co.uk/dynamic/1/281x351/223802_1.jpg", "alt_text": "Patrick Egan wants his home back"}, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null]
£20m to move Dale Farm gypsies 50 yards | Daily Star Patrick Egan wants his home back

They spent all that money to get rid of us and for what? To destroy a piece of land and have us move just down the road. What was the point

A traveller

The up-for-a-fight travellers have vowed not to move an inch until the council gives them a new home.

Traveller Patrick Egan blasted: “This whole action could end up costing the council many more millions. They are going to be sued by all angles for over- enforcement.”

The council has warned it will forcibly remove the illegally camped gypsies, a move which is set to cost the taxpayers another fortune.

In October Basildon Council removed 86 families from the illegal side of the site and dug up the land.

But weeks later around 30 caravans have moved back nearby.

The gypsies have parked on Oak Lane next to the legal side of the plot but are breaking the law because they have exceeded the authorised capacity.

Council leader Tony Ball has warned them to move or face prison but the defiant families have said they will not budge.

Outraged travellers said there were more caravans on the way back to the site.

One traveller called John said: “We’re coming back in force. All 86 families will be back here within weeks.

“Maybe even more. We have loads of relatives down for weddings and drink-ups. It’s going to be one big party down here for the next month. We’re not going anywhere.

“We were made homeless by the council. They’ve made our lives a misery. We have nowhere to go so we’ll stay here.”

A mother of three who has moved her caravan back to Dale Farm said: “I don’t care what people think about us. We are just good people trying to live our lives without harming anyone.

“They destroyed our homes and kicked us out and we have nowhere else to go.

“My kids were born here, this is their home. Where do they expect us to go?

“All we want is for them to find us a new place to live.

The council has pledged to get rid of the gypsies as soon as possible.

A spokesman said: “Caravans parked along Oak Lane are in breach of planning control which is an enforcement issue.

“Enforcement issues which relate to the Oak Lane site or the roadway around it will be dealt with as soon as possible.”

Angry Mr Egan, who owns a legal plot on the farm, added: “They’ve wrecked my house and my land and have cut the water and electricity supply.

“It’s not about the money. I would drop all of my complaints if it meant it all going back to normal.

“But the law is what they used to screw us. So we’ll now use legal means to screw them.”

A local resident who lives close to the site but did not want to be named said: “We thought this was the end of it. We thought they would go after they were evicted. But they’re back. It’s a nightmare. I wish they would just go away for good.”

The council’s eviction warning comes as it was revealed it could face millions of pounds worth of lawsuits lodged by furious gypsies.

Battles raged as travellers and anarchists took on the police and bailiffs during the eviction on October 19.

The stand-off marked the end of a ten-year battle for the gypsies who bought a former scrapyard on green belt land in 2001 and moved their caravans there.

More travellers joined them and some semi-permanent dwellings were built on the land without the proper planning permission.