Bailiffs Arrive at Dale Farm.

The day after the police declared the Dale Farm Travellers site to be cleared the only people authorised to carry out the eviction have arrived on site. This morning (20/10/11) bailiff set about removing the gantry and main gate that is not covered by the enforcement notices and they intend to move on to remove underground storage tanks that are also not covered by the enforcement notices. This comes the day after the police smashed down walls on one of the plots that the courts have said must remain untouched. So it appears that Basildon Council's commitment to upholding planning law lasted all of five minutes.

I've also been sent the following aeriel photograph of the green and pleasant area surrounding Dale Farm that Basildon Council claims to be protecting from uncontrolled development.



Dale Farm is circled in red. The gray strip running across the picture is the A127 - one of the busiest arterial roads in the country. The area below the road to the left is retail park containing a hypermarkets with extensive car parking. The area below the road to the right is an industrial park containing factories also with extensive car parking. Everything else north of the road are residential sites that Basildon Council have given planning permission too.

This is probably why the first indications are coming out of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that Essex is going to have to be hung out to dry over this. After all even the Americans are saying that the animals that were unleashed yesterday should have been shot on sight.