A FARMER has been left counting the cost after the wheels to his trailer were damaged following a stand-off with a group of travellers.

A convoy of caravans moved from West Bergholt through Wormingford after a group of residents dug a trench to remove travellers from private land.

Before pitching up at the Crown pub in Wormingford, a group reportedly attempted to access the farmer’s land.

Hearing of the incident in West Bergholt, the landowner, who asked to remain anonymous, made a bid to block access to his field.

He said: “They moved on from West Bergholt to our farm, before they pitched up at the Crown pub.

“We were alerted at around 9.30pm on Wednesday when a couple of caravans arrived on our land.

“We had been warned they were coming through the area.

“We told the police and moved to block the gate with a couple of vehicles.

“A whole convoy of about 20 arrived and told my wife to get out of the way and give them access to our land.

“We were worried they were going to ram into us.

“At the time I was getting the tractor, when I returned I basically told them to move away before I dragged them off.

“A crop of grass was completely flattened and rubbish was left behind.

“I am sure it is nothing to them, but it is worth something to me.”

The farmer decided to come forward and share his experience with the group after reading traveller Tracey Smith’s account in the Gazette.

She said none of the group were harmful and complained that a farmer had tried to “ram them with a tractor”,

The farmer added: “The quote from Tracey Smith had me in stitches, “I was the farmer who removed them with his tractor, and they then pitched up at the Crown.

“After we forced them off our land we blocked the gateway with a farm trailer to stop any thoughts of a return.”

The farmer says tyres on his trailer have since been slashed with a knife and believes it may have been linked to the incident.

He added: “As an employee of ours approached they drove of jeering and laughing, back in the direction of the Crown.

“There have also been many local reports of thefts from garden sheds whilst they have been at the Crown.”