Travellers at Dale Farm given eviction date

Basildon Council will begin the clearance of Dale Farm in two weeks’ time following a decade-long legal battle over unauthorised properties on the former scrap yard.

The deadline for travellers to leave the site at Crays Hill in Essex, passed on Wednesday 31 August. Council officials are visiting the site to talk in person with residents.

Supporter Jenny Clapham told Channel 4 News the 19 September deadline, which was initially leaked to residents, should give the campaign a “focal point”.

She said: “It’s [the date] certainly within the week we thought it was coming. It doesn’t change what we were doing and there’s now more of a focal point for people to prepare for.

“Hopefully the campaigning will pick up even more now. There will be a demonstration on Saturday for Wickford to Dale Farm for anyone that wants to show support. If there are people who could only come down for the eviction – we’ll hopefully get more numbers on Saturday.”

Kathleen McCarthy, a resident of Dale Farm, said: “We found out about the date of the eviction through the press rather than through dialogue with the council. We are worried, because we have nowhere else to go.

“One hundred children will have to be pulled out of school just three weeks into the school year. This has been our home for decades – why won’t Basildon Council see sense?”

More from Channel 4 News: Travellers deny eviction battle will turn violent

Both travellers and supporters have promised to resist eviction without violence but police have begun preparations for major disorder. Another Dale Farm supporter told Channel 4 News last week that there will be “non-violent direct action” if necessary to stop the eviction.

Although half of the site is legal, more than 80 properties have no planning permission and about 400 people are said to be living there illegally.