Verdict close on Dale Farm eviction bid

RESIDENTS of Dale Farm, the UK’s largest illegal travellers’ site, could learn today whether they have won their High Court battle against eviction.

A judge in London said yesterday he hoped to give his ruling on the controversial site near Basildon, Essex, at 2pm today.

The judge is considering three linked applications for judicial review by the residents to block eviction.

Their lawyers argued in a week-long hearing that Basildon Council’s decision earlier this year to take direct action to clear the green belt site of about 400 travellers was disproportionate.

The council was accused of failing to take account of vulnerable residents, including the sick in need of regular medication and children whose schooling would be disrupted.

Lawyers for Basildon, which has fought a ten-year battle to clear the site, argued that the council had acted lawfully and reasonably and complied with its statutory duty.