High Court grants Basildon injunction to block Dale Farm re-occupation

Basildon Council has succeeded in obtaining a High Court injunction preventing the re-occupation of Dale Farm.

The local authority sought the injunction after it feared that some former residents were looking to re-occupy the site once it was cleared.

Basildon revealed that no return date had been set, and so there would be no further hearing.

Cllr Tony Ball, Leader of Basildon Council, said:  “I am satisfied that the injunction has been granted. This is routine practice following a site clearance and something we had always planned to do.

“We believed that some previous residents of Dale Farm planned to illegally re-occupy the site and the injunction will put them in contempt of court for doing this, which could result in a prison sentence.”

He added: “I would urge that travellers do not use Dale Farm for residential purposes, and from now on comply with the law and find new sites legally.”

Basildon said work on clearing the site was near the end, with 51 plots cleared. “Work to bund the site as an interim measure to prevent reoccupation continues,” it added.