RESIDENTS have spotted more caravans being moved on to a site, dubbed "Dale Farm II", despite ongoing enforcement proceedings.

Basildon Council is going through the courts in a bid to tackle unlawful development on the site, with planning breaches being carried out on sites in the Hovefields area of Wickford.

Concerns have no been raised that travellers are continuing to arrive on green belt land in the area.

Two caravans have been spotted arriving on trailers.

At a full council meeting last week, Phil Turner, leader of Basildon Council, insisted the authority is doing all it can to stop any further breaches.

He said: “The only way we can ensure the plots of land in question at Hovefields, which are in the green belt, are restored to their proper state is by following the letter of the law and gathering as much evidence as we can to take to court.

“Regrettably we are dealing here with people who are prepared to defy a High Court Order, despite the potential consequences to themselves.

“It must be recognised that merely witnessing that further development works have occurred is not enough to commence contempt proceedings, particularly where landowners and occupiers have changed.

“For instance, new occupiers discovered on site have to be personally served with copies of an injunction for it to be effective against them.

"We have to prove to the court who is responsible and identification evidence can be extremely difficult to gather in these circumstances.”