Dale farm why is it illegal

The council leader. Council leader Malcolm Buckley says while travellers do not get a "fair deal", the law of the land must apply to one and all. Police officers and bailiffs surround the main barricade during the eviction of Dale Farm travellers camp five years ago. A protestor stands in front of a burning caravan during the evictions. Dale Farm History. Image source, PA. The lawyer. Image source, Howe and Co.

David Enright centre was named solicitor of the year by The Law Society for his pro bono work for gypsies and travellers. Traveller children look up and gesture as a police helicopter hovers over Dale Farm camp just days before the evictions.

Related Topics. Basildon Travellers. Published 3 July December The Save Dale Farm Campaign appeals for a rethink following a Basildon Council ruling to hire eviction specialists and bulldoze the site. May Travellers celebrate the opening of a new community centre despite continuing court action from Basildon Council to allow the eviction to go ahead.

January The Court of Appeal rules that an earlier judgment in the High Court - which quashed Basildon Council's decision to take enforcement action - was flawed. Lord Justice Pill said the decision to clear the site was lawful. March Basildon Council votes for a fresh resolution to clear Dale Farm. The Government agrees to part-fund the council and police operations. Signs reading 'we won't go' and 'no ethnic cleansing' during the eviction in J uly : Eviction notices are served by Basildon Council.

The council gives residents occupying 51 unauthorised pitches 28 days to vacate the land. August 8 The campaign to stop the eviction gathers pace as actress and human rights campaigner Vanessa Redgrave visits Dale Farm. Activists begin to set up 'Camp Constant' to help defend travellers. Lawyers fail in a High Court bid to halt the eviction.

September 5 The date for the beginning of the clearance is revealed as September Travellers criticise the council after the date was leaked to the media before they were informed.

September 16 Elderly resident Mary Flynn given a final chance to challenge the clearance of the site. September 18 Supporters and travellers resisting the clearance of Dale Farm lock down the site as they prepare for the arrival of bailiffs. September 19 Bailiffs arrive at the main gate of Dale Farm to start the eviction of up to 80 families living on the unauthorised plot. Later, the residents win a last-gasp injunction preventing the council from clearing structures.

The Environment Agency report on whether the eviction uncovered pollutants is expected at the end of the month. Many residents, according to the Gypsy Council, are on repeat courses of antibiotics for chest infections. Of the 86 families who lived on the Dale Farm site, a largely illegal settlement, around 20 have moved to the temporary camp on a private access road just metres away. A further 20 live nearby on a legal site, while another 20 are travelling in two convoys around the Midlands, where they are frequently moved on by the authorities.

The remainder have found accommodation at a caravan site at Fen, Leighton Buzzard, in Bedfordshire, where last year police rescued 24 modern-day slaves from bondage and "filthy and cramped" conditions. Many of the men have opted to work abroad, leaving women alone to cope with the unsuitable conditions for long periods. Those who remain at the temporary camp on the roadside near Dale Farm say they have endured psychological anguish since losing their homes.

Basildon council votes for enforcement action. June: Actor and political activist Corin Redgrave suffers a heart attack while speaking at a Basildon council meeting discussing the future of Dale Farm. He describes Travellers as "the most deprived community in the country". Dale Farm travellers hold a vigil outside Westminster as the government discusses new guidance on Gypsy and Traveller sites.

The Save Dale Farm Campaign appeals for a rethink following a council ruling to hire eviction specialists and bulldoze the site. Travellers celebrate the opening of a new community centre despite continuing court action from Basildon council to allow the eviction to go ahead.